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Shards of bone and rock hidden in the brittle, barren earth make a sickening crunch with every step Lan Wangji takes. The air is thick and reeks of a rot he can taste on his tongue, blanketed by an evil miasma that weighs him down as he drags his heavy feet up the mountain. Although the temperature is bitterly cold, cool beads of sweat are gathered at his temples and the back of his neck, dripping uncomfortably into his eyes and down the back of his robes.
Nevertheless, he soldiers on.
Deep in the craggy mountains that scrape the cloudy sky, he soon finds the first signs of life. The makeshift dwellings are crude and look like they might fold in on themselves if there were a breeze to be found in this desolate place. Weathered faces peek out of flimsy wooden doors as Lan Wangji passes, and his ears pick up the whispering as he makes his way toward…
He isn't sure where he is going, but he keeps his eyes sharp. There is a cave up ahead that he feels oddly drawn to, enormous with a yawning entrance that the light is too weak to penetrate. Lan Wangji feels his heart speeding up the longer he looks at it, and he barely registers his feet moving in that direction.
Something grabs his wrists suddenly, and Lan Wangji freezes, his other hand on Bichen's hilt. He relaxes slightly when he turns his gaze upon an elderly woman who looks harmless enough. Pleading with shiny eyes, she shakes her head rapidly, and says, "You shouldn't be here."
Lan Wangji says nothing, waiting for her to continue. Eventually, she does.
"There's a monster in there. He'll… He'll…"
"Has anyone been harmed?"
She seems taken aback by the question. "Well… No. He hasn't harmed anyone who lives here, but he's dangerous!"
Lan Wangji gently removes her gnarled hands from his sleeve. As he looks down, he notices a small child clinging to the woman's leg. He looks up at Lan Wangji with wide, terrified eyes, his lower lip wobbling as if he will burst into tears at any moment. It turns Lan Wangji's stomach to know that there are children here, living in such abhorrent conditions.
He nods at the child as he turns back toward the cave. Ignoring the old woman, he keeps moving forward, even as braver souls begin to poke their heads out of their doorways to offer words of caution.
"Leave!"
"Turn around!"
"He'll kill you!"
Lan Wangji ignores them, too.
The air temperature seems to drop by at least twenty degrees when he enters the cave. Suppressing a shiver, he waits at the entrance for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His footsteps echo loudly as he begins walking forward, searching for any signs of life.
He moseys around for some time without finding anything—or anyone. Just as he is considering giving up, a weak, tired voice calls out to him. "Why are you here?"
Lan Wangji's head whips toward the source of the sound. "Wei Ying?!"
He rushes to an elevated platform of rock, on which Wei Ying is lying supine. His hands hover at waist-level for a moment. Eventually, he decides to keep them at his sides. He swallows thickly and says again, more gently, "Wei Ying?"
Wei Ying's head turns very slightly to the side, and Lan Wangji feels like he has been punched in the gut. From what Lan Wangji can see in the dim lighting, Wei Ying's face is drawn, complexion pallid, and his cheekbones stand out like bridges over a valley. His gaze barely shifts as he studies Lan Wangji, and he soon returns his gaze to the ceiling. "Go away, Lan Zhan."
"What happened to you?" Lan Wangji asks. He thinks of the people he saw on his way to the cave. None of them looked so sickly, so there must be some type of food available. Is Wei Ying ill? His cultivation has always been remarkably high—what illness could possibly have caused him to waste away like this?
"A lot," Wei Ying replies, not bothering to explain further.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji had hoped to bring this up later in the conversation, but it looks like this discussion is not going anywhere. "It is best if you come back to Gusu with me."
This gets more reaction, more life, out of Wei Ying than Lan Wangji has seen in the entirety of this two-minute conversation. Wei Ying pulls himself up to sit on the edge of the rock, glaring at Lan Wangji with a gaze so cold and dark that Lan Wangji must suppress a shiver. "It's been a long time since I heard you say that."
Lan Wangji isn't sure what else to say.
Wei Ying scoffs. "Try and take me back to Gusu, then. I'm not afraid of you or your clan, so you can punish me all you want!"
It feels like history is repeating itself. Lan Wangji is left with a strong sense of déjà vu as he says, "I have no intention of punishing you, Wei Ying."
"Then, what for?" Wei Ying demands. He covers his face with his hand and lets out a hollow laugh. "I should've known this wasn't a social call. You never liked me, so of course you'd look down on me now that I'm—"
He cuts himself off suddenly, sitting up straighter. His gaze on Lan Wangji is sharp as a blade. "Get lost."
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji tries again. "Let me help."
"I don't need your help," Wei Ying snarls. He stands, sinking further into the shadows and putting a wide berth between the two of them. "And there's nothing you can do for me anyway. Get out before I make you get out."
Though they are only a few feet apart, Lan Wangji feels the distance is insurmountable. Eyes stinging, his robes billow with the movement as he turns to exit. He pauses at the cave entrance, looking back at Wei Ying, who is once again sitting on the edge of the rock. He doesn't look at Lan Wangji as he leaves.
~.~.~
Lan Wangji tries again two weeks later. He doesn't really have a plan; everything he thinks of doing or saying could play out either in or against his favor. Deciding it's best to speak from the heart, Lan Wangji flies to Yiling on Bichen, landing on the outskirts of town. It's dangerous to get up to the Burial Mounds by sword, so he will be trekking the last couple of hours of his journey on foot. He doesn't mind—in fact, he is hoping that he will be able to brainstorm a way to approach this conversation while he walks.
He doesn't look at the people who stare as he passes by, accustomed to the awed expressions of common folk seeing cultivators. However, a hushed conversation a pair of women are having catches his attention.
"What kind of beast do you think could kill a monster like him?" one woman whispers.
The other is twisting her hair around her hands, eyes darting around nervously. "Are you sure he's really dead?"
"My brother-in-law is the undertaker. Of course, I'm sure!"
The woman catches the gaze of Lan Wangji, who has stopped walking, on her, and she flinches. She offers him a polite bow and nudges her companion to do the same. Lan Wangji knows it is rude to eavesdrop, but something about the way the women tremble reminds him of the way the Wen remnants looked two weeks ago as he passed through their settlement—despite the fact that there is no connection between the two things.
"Has anything strange happened around here lately?" he asks mildly.
The women look at each other, then back at him, and the braver of the two speaks. "A m…man was murdered last night, but…"
"It doesn't make sense!" the one twisting her hair exclaims. "Mingming claims she saw it with her own eyes, but it don't sound like no evil spirit I've ever heard of. Unless it's a…"
Both women shudder.
"Could be," her companion says with a grimace. "They're saying the wounds on his neck match the mark of a bite."
"It could be some other type of evil spirit. God knows how many women fell victim to that monster. Hey!" She turns her wide, frightened gaze to Lan Wangji. "You're a cultivator, right?! Could it be a ghost?"
"I do not know," Lan Wangji says with a frown. "I must investigate further."
Little by little, he gathers bits and pieces of the story. The man who died was a notorious rapist, feared by every woman in village—and well-connected enough that the authorities refused to launch a proper investigation into his crimes. He apparently cornered a young woman the night before, but he was stopped by a mysterious being with terrifying strength and ferocity. According to the witness, something far more horrifying than a rapist ripped the man away from the girl, flinging him across a wide street before descending on him like a bird of prey, and all she could hear as she ran away was the sound of the man screaming in agony. The man's body was found the following morning with mysterious marks on his neck, but despite his jugular being punctured, not a drop of blood was found at the scene.
Lan Wangji originally planned to head straight for the Burial Mounds, but he instead spends a couple of hours questioning anyone who is willing to give him their time. None of them have any more information than what he was told before, and he finds himself at a frustrating dead end. To make matters worse, the sun is already disappearing beyond the horizon, which means it will be completely dark by the time he makes it to the Wen settlement.
~.~.~
As predicted, the sun is completely gone by the time he arrives. The lack of moonlight makes it difficult for even Lan Wangji, whose cultivation has blessed him with keen eyesight, to see anything around him. No one exits their makeshift homes to try and turn Lan Wangji around this time, and he heads directly for the cave. All he can hear is the faint, scratchy sound of a brush moving rapidly against paper. Curious, he pulls out a talisman that emits a faintly glowing light when he infuses it with spiritual power. It is enough for him to see a figure hunched over a makeshift table, scribbling something down, looking it over, and then rolling the paper up into a ball that lands in a pile of other discarded drafts.
"Wei Ying?"
The figure startles, turning around. Of course, it is Wei Ying, but this is not the same Wei Ying Lan Wangji encountered two weeks ago. This Wei Ying is energetic and lively, and his face lights up when his eyes land on Lan Wangji.
"Lan Zhan!"
Lan Wangji's heart stutters and skips as Wei Ying hurries over, smiling brightly and pulling Lan Wangji over to the "bed" area.
"I'd offer you a seat at my 'table', but there isn't much room over there," Wei Ying says apologetically. "What brings you here? Do you come bearing news of the outside world?"
"Are you feeling alright?" asks Lan Wangji. Wei Ying's hand is ice-cold around Lan Wangji's wrist. When he notices Lan Wangji looking at it, he lets go of it.
He laughs dismissively, urging Lan Wangji to sit. "Haha, I feel fine… Better than fine, actually! I've had so many ideas for new talismans and other inventions, and I finally have the energy to work on them! Look, look at this one! It's a compass, but instead of pointing north, it points toward evil!"
He puts the device in Lan Wangji's hand. No matter which way Lan Wangji turns, the needle points directly at Wei Ying.
Wei Ying snatches it away and takes a seat beside Lan Wangji. "Ah, haha… It's just a prototype. Never mind. Anyway, what's the hot gossip of the jianghu these days?"
"There is to be a marriage alliance between clans," Lan Wangji informs him, keeping his tone as neutral as possible.
"Really?" Wei Ying's eyes shine, obviously starved for any news of the outside world. "Between which clans?"
"The Jin…and the Jiang."
Wei Ying's face falls. He catches himself instantly, and he tries to rearrange his expression into a smile. "So my shij… Ms. Jiang is marrying the peacock. Hm."
Lan Wangji can only imagine the things that are going through Wei Ying's mind right now. He wishes he could make things right, and he feels as if he is making progress on getting his brother to question the narrative Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao are spinning. With a proper investigation and persuasion, Lan Wangji is certain Wei Ying's name will be cleared. Wei Ying just needs to lie low a little while longer.
In the dim lighting, Lan Wangji is reassured to see that Wei Ying looks much healthier than before. Cheeks filled out, his cheekbones and jaw no longer stand out sharply. His eyes are lighter and more alive, but although he looks better than he did previously, his eyes take on a somber sheen. "Lan Zhan, I…did something bad."
Dread sinks Lan Wangji's stomach. "What is it?"
"I…" Wei Ying takes a deep breath, which seems…odd. Lan Wangji can't recall if he has heard or seen Wei Ying breathe on either of his visits. "I can't tell you."
Lan Wangji wants to say, You can tell me anything, or I will not tell anyone.
The words get tangled somewhere in his chest. So, he says nothing.
"You should leave." Wei Ying stands, prompting Lan Wangji to do the same. "Sorry I can't offer you any tea or any…really anything."
Lan Wangji searches for a pretense to stay, but he can't find a reason to stick around now that the message has been delivered. He wants to sweep Wei Ying away and carry him back to Gusu, but he knows Wei Ying would never go without a fight. Seeing Wei Ying so lively has assuaged some of Lan Wangji's fears, but there is still something…off. It may be the lighting playing tricks on Lan Wangji, but Wei Ying's skin looks paler than normal and there are still bags under his eyes that may or may not also be a product of the shadows around them. There's also something heartbreakingly fragile lurking behind Wei Ying's cheerful words—although Wei Ying has always been a master of hiding his own pain and longing behind humor and obnoxious behavior.
"I am glad you are well," Lan Wangji says, setting aside his worries for now. "I will take my leave."
"What brings you out here anyway?" asks Wei Ying.
"I am merely passing by on my way to a night-hunt." The lie has been practiced more than enough times to make it believable, and Lan Wangji will assign himself an appropriate punishment later for breaking the rules against deception.
Wei Ying's expression returns to cheerfulness. "Oh? What are you hunting? I know this area pretty well, and I—"
"I do not require assistance," Lan Wangji interrupts. He hates the way it makes Wei Ying withdraw from him. "But thanks."
Wei Ying puts on another fake smile. The light talisman flickers a few times, casting eerie shadows over his features before giving out completely. "Here, let me help you," Wei Ying offers, taking hold of Lan Wangji's arm.
Lan Wangji allows himself to be guided toward the exit, trying not to think too much about Wei Ying's hand at his elbow. They pass a large body of…not water. Definitely not water. It smells like rusty copper mixed with stale, fetid air. Wei Ying catches Lan Wangji trying to get a look at it and says, a bit sheepishly. "Blood pool. It's perfect for refining corpses."
Lan Wangji says nothing, and Wei Ying continues. "Anyway, do you like the Demon-Quelling Cave?"
"Demon-Quelling Cave?"
"That's right." There's a smile in Wei Ying's voice. "I came up with the name myself. They say I'm some big-time demonic overlord, a walker of the demonic path, so how am I not embarrassed to call my little old lair the 'Demon-Quelling Cave'? But they're wrong. The name I chose doesn't mean what they think it does."
"What does it mean?" Lan Wangji prompts.
He hears, more than sees, Wei Ying's grin. "Simple. I named it that because I sleep here most of the time. An evil overlord sprawled unconscious on the ground of a cave—isn't that a 'demon quelled'?"
When they reach the mouth of the cave, the clouds have parted enough to reveal a thin sliver of moon that illuminates the man beside Lan Wangji. Wei Ying is beautiful, and he is too busy looking at the Wen settlement a short distance away to notice Lan Wangji's gaze on him. When he does look at Lan Wangji, his mouth and eyes settle into a soft, reserved smile that makes Lan Wangji's heart feel unspeakably heavy.
"Don't worry about me," Wei Ying says, picking up on Lan Wangji's thoughts. "I've got it covered, and things are going well."
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji can't help but ask, "do you really have everything under control?"
He wants to say more about how gui dao damages the mind and body, but Wei Ying has heard this argument more than enough times. So, Lan Wangji wisely leaves that part out for now.
"I do." Wei Ying looks down at the path leading down the mountain. "Let me walk you down," he offers. "I'd like to make sure you don't trip and fall. Could you imagine how the sects would spin it if Hanguang-jun died on my territory? It'd be a nightmare."
Lan Wangji is more than capable of making his own way without hurting himself, but he wants to linger in Wei Ying's presence a little while longer. They make their way through the Wen camp without saying anything. Lan Wangji keeps his questions to himself, and Wei Ying is uncharacteristically quiet. He doesn't speak until they've reached the foot of the mountain.
Although he really, really doesn't want to start a fight, Lan Wangji needs to ask again to be sure. "Wei Ying… Are you really in control?"
"Of course I am," Wei Ying says, waving a dismissive hand. "If I wasn't in control, would I have managed to awaken a corpse's consciousness?"
"You…?" Lan Wangji swallows. Such a thing is unheard of, but if anyone can do it, it's Wei Ying.
"Wen Ning," Wei Ying says triumphantly. Then, his face grows solemn. "He's the only one around here, besides his sister, who will actually talk to me."
"Wen Ning was exceptionally fierce," Lan Wangji points out, recalling what he heard about the incident at Qiongqi Path. "Are you certain you can control him?"
Wei Ying scratches the back of his neck. "I have plenty of experience handling him now. As long as I'm fine, he won't go berserk."
A moment of silence lingers between them. Lan Wangji does not want to push Wei Ying too far, but he has to know what the plan is here.
"And what if you are not fine?"
"That won't happen," Wei Ying insists through gritted teeth.
"How can you guarantee as much?"
"That won't happen," he repeats. "It can't happen either."
"Do you plan on staying like this from now on?" Lan Wangji asks, thinking of the shabby, barely upright shacks the Wen survivors reside in and the dirty, damp cave with a blood pool Wei Ying calls home.
"And what's wrong with that?" Wei Ying shoots back. "Do you scorn my great domain? This mountain is bigger than your Cloud Recesses, you know. The food is better, too."
"Wei Ying," Lan Wangji says, trying for peace. "You know what I mean."
"Lan Zhan…" Wei Ying's voice suddenly sounds very tired. "Thank you for visiting, and for telling me about my shijie's wedding. But—right or wrong, the decision is my own. It doesn't matter what others think of those decisions. I will bear the consequences of my actions, whether they be good or ill. I know what I should do. And I believe everything is still within my ability to control."
Lan Wangji inclines his head and closes his eyes. This is goodbye.
~.~.~
Lan Wangji spends the next three months keeping an ear out for any news from or around Yiling. And his blood runs cold each of the three times he learns of another life claimed by some mysterious being that drains them of their blood. The pattern is too consistent for it to be coincidence, and it soon catches the attention of the great sects.
"I will investigate it personally," Lan Wangji announces to his brother, Nie Mingjue, and Jin Guangyao. The Venerated Triad has been gathered informally at Cloud Recesses, and Lan Wangji happened to be in the room when Jin Guangyao brought up the topic of the mysterious deaths in the Yiling Laozu's territory.
"Lan-er-gongzi." Jin Guangyao's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "We have to let the Yunmeng Jiang take the lead. It is their territory, after all."
Lan Wangji's eyes narrow. If his suspicions are correct, Jiang Wanyin is the last person he wants on the case. "Very well," he says, offering nothing else.
Later, at dusk, as he is passing through the gates of his ancestral home, Lan Xichen calls out to him. "Wangji! Wait!"
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Lan Wangji looks back at his brother and prepares for a scolding. When Lan Xichen catches up to him, he looks at Lan Wangji with concern. "You're going to Yiling, aren't you?"
"Mn." Lying is forbidden.
"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Lan Xichen asks. His brow is furrowed. "Wangji, I know it is hard for you to hear, but… he has made his choices."
Lan Wangji turns without a word. Unexpectedly, a strong but gentle hand lands on his shoulder, forcing him back. Carefully seizing Lan Wangji's wrist, Lan Xichen deposits something cool and round into his hand. It is a bulb of garlic, and Lan Wangji's fears are confirmed.
His brother has the same suspicions as Lan Wangji.
"I must go now," Lan Wangji says, somewhat apologetically.
"I understand." A melancholy look has settled on Lan Xichen's face, as if he is watching the past repeat itself. "Be on guard. Be vigilant. Be careful."
"I will."
When he is out of sight, Lan Wangji chucks the garlic into the treeline.
This time, when Lan Wangji visits the Burial Mounds, dozens of people come out of their shacks to plead with him.
"Gongzi, please—"
"Save us!"
"He can't be trusted! We're all in danger!"
Lan Wangji studiously ignores them, picking his way through the hangers-on without slowing down. He's smacked with a chilling sense of foreboding as he enters the Demon-Quelling Cave, but he does not stop. On his way, he pulls out a handful of illumination talismans. He needs to actually see Wei Ying this time.
He finds him sitting on the ground with his back against the side of the raised platform he uses as a bed. Staring straight ahead into the darkness of the cave, he does not look at Lan Wangji as he approaches. His face is white as a sheet, and his eyes are like black pits, sunken in like his hollow cheeks. As Lan Wangji kneels in front of him, his gaze slowly focuses.
"Lan Zhan…" His voice is raspy like dry parchment, and his lips are cracked and colorless. "What do you want?"
"I want to help you," Lan Wangji says, keeping his voice calm and, hopefully, reassuring. "Will you let me?"
Wei Ying's head falls back, banging into the rock behind him as he lets out a harsh laugh. "You can't save me, Lan Wangji. No one can."
Reaching for Wei Ying's hand, Lan Wangji tries not to feel too hurt as he is swatted away. "Let me try," he begs. "Please."
"Why?" Pushing Lan Wangji away, Wei Ying uses the rock to pull himself up to his feet. His posture is slumped, caving in on himself, but he glares at Lan Wangji with enough vitriol to scare away anyone less devoted than Lan Wangji. "Why now? Why do you care all of a sudden, once everyone else has turned their backs on me? What can you offer someone like me. Someone who—who—"
He turns his back on Lan Wangji. But Lan Wangji will not leave. Not this time.
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji's heart pounds loudly in his chest. "I know what you are."
"Say it," Wei Ying hisses, hands balled up in fists at his side. "Out loud."
When Lan Wangji says nothing, he turns, shouting, "Say it!"
"A vampire." The word spills from Lan Wangji's mouth in a jumbled rush, and he feels a chill run down his spine at having it out in the open. "You are a vampire."
"Are you afraid?" Wei Ying asks.
Lan Wangji's response is an automatic, "No."
Wei Ying arches an eyebrow. "Then, ask me the most basic question. What do I eat?"
"You will not hurt me."
"You have too much faith in me. What if I lose control?"
"You will not."
"Aren't you the one—" Wei Ying takes several slow, measured steps toward Lan Wangji. "—who keeps asking if I am actually in control? Where's that fear now, huh?!"
He grabs Lan Wangji by the collar with trembling hands. "This is the skin of a killer, Lan Zhan!"
Warm tears gather in Lan Wangji's eyes. He blinks, fighting to hold them back. "I do not care."
Wei Ying opens his mouth to keep arguing, but Lan Wangji is seized by a sudden impulse. He grabs Wei Ying by the front of his robes, which are, as always, tied loosely enough that it shows off the expanse of his chest. Stumbling forward, Wei Ying is caught off-guard as their lips collide.
At first, he puts up a hint of a struggle. His fists do not hurt when they bang against Lan Wangji's chest, and after a few attempts, he surrenders. He kisses Lan Wangji back with an almost frightening desperation, his shoulders shaking as a few tears escape from his eyes.
"Stay away!" Wei Ying sobs, shoving Lan Wangji by the shoulders. Lan Wangji stumbles back a couple of steps, but he comes right back, bound to Wei Ying's side. "Lan Zhan, I don't wanna hurt y—"
"I do not mind." Lan Wangji is already shrugging out of his outer layer. He sheds a layer at a time until his upper body is bare, an offering. He gathers all of his hair over to one shoulder, tilting his head. "I trust you will take what you need and stop before it is too late."
Wrapping one arm around Wei Ying's waist, Lan Wangji uses his other hand to guide Wei Ying's face to the crook of his neck. Wei Ying trembles like a leaf, his mouth hovering above Lan Wangji's jugular. He pulls away suddenly.
"Lan Zhan, I can't." He looks up at Lan Wangji with round, desperate eyes that glisten with tears. "What if I—"
"You will not." Leaning in to kiss him again, Lan Wangji swipes his tongue over Wei Ying's lower lip. It caresses the tip of a sharp fang, gentle and imploring. He pulls back just enough to meet Wei Ying's gaze. "And if you do… I do not mind."
"What?!" Wei Ying attempts to break free. If he weren't starving himself, he would be able to easily free himself from Lan Wangji's grasp. "How can you say that?! Lan Zhan, how could I live with myself if I hurt you?!"
Lan Zhan once again tilts his head to the side, baring his throat to Wei Ying. "Then, do not hurt me."
His hand creeps up the back of Wei Ying's neck, cradling the base of his skull and dragging him in. He shudders at the slow, wet glide of Wei Ying's tongue, cooler than a normal human's, tentatively tasting his skin. Wei Ying groans, and Lan Wangji feels the tip of his teeth digging in slightly.
"Go on," Lan Wangji urges when Wei Ying hesitates. "Take what you need from me, Wei Ying."
Wei Ying bites down. It stings at first, but then… then…
As the blood bubbles to the surface and Wei Ying's tongue laps it up, a strange feeling begins to radiate through Lan Wangji's veins. It's like every nerve in his body has come alive. Nothing in his life has ever felt so…
Good.
Lan Wangji must make a noise, because Wei Ying wrenches his mouth away. "Did I hurt you?!"
"No."
Lan Wangji feels… It doesn't hurt. He feels…
He notices his hips are restless, moving against Wei Ying. His cock is already achingly hard, and he… He wants…
"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji feels lightheaded as hands move to Wei Ying's belt. He feels good, and he wants to make Wei Ying feel good as well.
Cold hands wrap around both of Lan Wangji's wrists, exerting just enough pressure to make him let go. Wei Ying wrenches his mouth away from Lan Wangji's neck. "Don't."
Clarity hits Lan Wangji like the slow realization one has when they recognize that they are in a dream. "I apologize. I did not…"
He doesn't know how to complete the thought. I did not mean to, would ring false because he did want to, and I am sorry doesn't quite seem accurate either.
"It was wrong of me to assume you would want…"
…me, he wants to finish.
Instead, he says, "…that."
There's a smear of deep red around Wei Ying's mouth. Lan Wangji finds himself fighting the inexplicable urge to lick it off. Of course, this would be much too forward, especially given that Wei Ying has already implied he does not want anything more than a meal—which is fine! Lan Wangji can handle rejection with dignity, and he will not hold it against Wei Ying if he does not hold the same feelings as Lan Wangji.
Even though Wei Ying kissed him before like… like…
Wei Ying tilts his head, dragging his gaze from Lan Wangji's neck up to his eyes. "Who said I don't want…that?"
Trying to swallow around the lump in his throat, Lan Wangji has to force his lips and tongue to move. "Does that mean…?"
"I don't want to hurt you. Well…at least not more than I already have!"
Some of the color has returned to Wei Ying's cheeks, and his eyes, nearly black before, have returned to their normal stormy gray. His voice sounds lighter, and the corners of his mouth quirk upwards in a smile. Nevertheless, his eyebrows are still pinched together, guilt written all over his expression.
Lan Wangji takes Wei Ying's hand in his own. "Do you feel better?"
Wei Ying sighs. "Much better. Thank you. And…I'm sorry."
"There is no need to say those words to me," Lan Wangji firmly states.
"No need?!" Wei Ying places the hand Lan Wangji isn't holding on Lan Wangji's shoulder. "You're still bleeding. And it's… It smells so…"
His tongue swipes across his lips. He immediately shakes his head, pulling his shame-filled eyes away from where he bit.
Lan Wangji brings a hand up, grazing his fingertips across Wei Ying's cheek. "Do you want more? I feel fine."
Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, Wei Ying obviously wants to say yes. He grimaces, forcing himself to look away. "I don't know if I can stop myself a second tine."
"You can," Lan Wangji assures him. "And you will. I trust you."
He gently pulls Wei Ying in, positioning his mouth once again at his throat.
Wei Ying's tongue goes back to lapping at the blood that drips, thick and warm, from the wounds on Lan Wangji's neck. Again, Lan Wangji feels like he is being put under some kind of enchantment, and he kind of hopes that Wei Ying will never stop. He can't think of a time in his life that he has ever been so unbothered about the prospect of dying.
He catches himself grinding against Wei Ying again, and a thrill shoots through him as he realizes that Wei Ying is hard, too, and he's pressing his groin against Lan Wangji's wantonly, moaning into his neck. He pauses biting long enough to murmur, "Lan Zhan…"
This time, Wei Ying does not stop Lan Wangji from loosening his belt and stripping him of his layers of threadbare robes. He doesn't stop Lan Wangji from reaching into his pants and wrapping his hand around his warm, pulsing, hard cock. The teeth around Lan Wangji's neck tighten as he strokes along its length, spreading around the moisture leaking from the tip. Lan Wangji pumps him slow and steady, even as the dizziness sets in and he begins to lose focus. It feels as if he will fall asleep, and if anyone had told him that dying could feel like slipping into a pleasantly warm bath, he might have tried it sometime.
"Wei Ying." His voice croaks, weak. "I think I might…"
His grip slackens, his fingers unable to hang on. Wei Ying's tongue drags across his skin one final time, warm and smooth.
"Lan Zhan? Lan Zhan!"
The world tilts sideways, but Wei Ying manages to catch Lan Wangji before he can fall over. He lifts Lan Wangji easily and carries him over to the "bed," laying him down gently. He tries to step away, but Lan Wangji immediately grabs him by the arm, refusing to let go.
Wei Ying drops to his knees, his face hovering over Lan Wangji's. Blood is smeared around the corners of his lips, and his eyes are wide with concern. "Just…rest. I'm sorry."
"Kiss me," Lan Wangji begs.
And Wei Ying does. His mouth tastes like copper, but Lan Wangji doesn't mind in the slightest. He tries to sit up, only for Wei Ying to push him back down. "Don't overdo it," he cautions. He manages to get a word out between every kiss. "Fuck. You need to be good and lie down."
As a compromise, Lan Wangji lies down, but he pulls until Wei Ying is compelled to swing a leg over his hips, getting up onto the stone bed on all fours. Some of Lan Wangji's strength is coming back, thanks to his cultivation being high, and his hands greedily shove Wei Ying's pants down, forcing him to awkwardly kick of his boots. They work together to get Lan Wangji out of his lower garments as well.
Pressed skin-to-skin, they continue to grind against each other while exploring each other's mouths. Wei Ying's body is still cooler than Lan Wangji's, but the temperature of his skin has risen almost to the level of a living human. His movements are more energetic than before, and there's a spark in his eyes that Lan Wangji has not seen since before the Sunshot Campaign. He kisses Lan Wangji as if Lan Wangji is the only thing in the world he wants or needs.
As his initial lightheadedness passes, Lan Wangji gathers his strength and silently urges Wei Ying to swap places with him. Once Wei Ying is on his back, Lan Wangji kisses his way down his body. His tongue traces the hollow above a clavicle, then circles a dusky nipple twice before he closes his teeth around it. Wei Ying gasps, and his back arches, and he tries to reason with Lan Wangji:
"Lan Zhan, you don't have to—ah! Not so hard! Shouldn't you be resting instead of bullying me?"
Lan Wangji ignores him, dipping his tongue into Wei Ying's navel. He leaves a trail of bite marks from one of Wei Ying's hips down to midway down his inner thigh, where he sucks until he's certain a bruise will form, undead or not. Then, he tears his mouth away so he can focus on his destination.
Wei Ying's cock pulses heavily as Lan Wangji drags his tongue along its length. When he reaches the top, he wraps his lips around the head and begins to bob his head with purpose. Wei Ying babbles all the while, saying things like, "Fucking shit, Lan Zhan! Where'd you learn to do that?! You're gonna kill me. I mean actually kill me. Do you want me dead for good?"
At this, Lan Wangji cannot help but pull away to say without breaking eye contact. "You will have to survive."
"And what if I—hah—what if I can't?!" Wei Ying shudders as Lan Wangji applies more suction. "You'll have no one to blame but yourself when I perish."
Lan Wangji smiles to himself as he places a hand on the underside of each of Wei Ying's thighs, pushing them up and apart. He spends a while simply staring down at the puckered entrance peeking at him from between Wei Ying's cheeks.
"What are you—ungh, holy shit!"
Wei Ying lets out a keening whine as Lan Wangji's tongue traces his rim. He pulls on Lan Wangji's hair hard enough to sting, but Lan Wangji is dedicated to his mission of taking Wei Ying apart piece by piece. He pushes the tip of his tongue inside, which draws a litany of colorful swears out of Wei Ying.
There are texts in the Room of Forbidden Books beneath the Library Pavilion that Lan Wangji discovered on accident. Once he had assured himself that there was no rule against attaining this knowledge, he had allowed himself to peek at a few of them. He knows, in theory, that a man can attain unspeakable pleasure if one can find a particular spot within him. But he needs…
He raises a hand to his neck, where the blood has begun to clot. He pushes on it until it begins to bleed again, smearing it all over his fingers. Wei Ying watches in horror. "Lan Zhan, what the fuck are you—"
Bringing his hand between Wei Ying's splayed open thighs, Lan Wangji rests his fingers against his opening. Wei Ying cuts off with a strangled yelp as one finger breaches him.
"Haa…hnng…fuuck…"
Lan Wangji works the tip of his finger in and out, enthralled by the way Wei Ying's hole clings to it. Little by little, Wei Ying relaxes, and Lan Wangji is able to slide the digit in fully. He wriggles it around, coaxing Wei Ying into loosening up—and searching. When Wei Ying's walls are no longer crushingly tight around it, Lan Wangji squeezes in a second finger. This makes Wei Ying groan, and Lan Wangji takes his cock back into his mouth in apology.
One curve of his fingers makes Wei Ying jolt, his back arching while his legs form a deadlock around Lan Wangji's shoulders. Lan Wangji pulls off of Wei Ying's cock, tongue toying with the ridge of the head momentarily before asking, "How does it feel?"
"Like…ungh!" Wei Ying fists a hand in Lan Wangji's hair and tries to pull it back to his cock. "It feels like I'm alive again."
Lan Wangji gathers more crimson liquid from his neck, then pushes three fingers inside Wei Ying, who writhes in place and yanks on Lan Wangji's hair until his mouth is on his cock again. For a moment, Lan Wangji considers making Wei Ying come like this. He's curious what it will taste like, and he wants Wei Ying to let loose and really fuck his mouth. But he needs more. He rises up onto his knees.
Collecting a handful of blood, Lan Wangji spreads it all over his cock before positioning it at Wei Ying's hole. Understanding dawns in Wei Ying's eyes, and he wraps his legs around Lan Wangji's waist, causing him to lose his balance. He catches himself on one hand while the other guides his cock into place. Pushing into Wei Ying slowly, Lan Wangji watches the emotions, loud and transparent, pass over Wei Ying's face. There's pain, yes, but also pleasure and eagerness and…something Lan Wangji can't quite parse. He tears his gaze away from Wei Ying's to look down at where their bodies are now joined, Lan Wangji's cock half-buried inside Wei Ying's bruisingly tight opening.
Wei Ying's jaw goes slack, and his eyes take on a glassy sheen. Unable to voice more than a strangled gasp, Wei Ying closes his eyes while Lan Wangji pushes the rest of the way in. Lan Wangji grabs the nearest piece of fabric he can reach (pants, he thinks) and wipes his hand off as best as he can. His clean hand comes up to caress the side of Wei Ying's face. "Wei Ying, look at me."
His eyes flutter open, and Wei Ying's teeth dig into his lower lip as he takes in Lan Wangji's appearance, which must be quite a shock. His hair is in utter disarray, his neck is still bleeding, and he can feel that the passive facade that usually guards his emotions has shattered. Kissing Wei Ying one more time, Lan Wangji sits up on his knees and reaches for his forehead ribbon, untying it.
Wei Ying's shock and disbelief grow as the ribbon is wound around his forearm, snug but not too tight. Lan Wangji ties a bow around Wei Ying's wrist. then raises his hand to his lips, kissing the center of his palm. Then, Lan Wangji lowers his upper body once again and begins to fuck him—in and out, in and out—until Wei Ying's voice goes hoarse from shouting.
It doesn't take long for Wei Ying to tighten around Lan Wangji's cock. White streaks of come splatter both their abdomens, and Lan Wangji can hold back no longer. He buries himself to the root, hips slamming into Wei Ying's ass, biting back a scream as he empties inside of him.
As he comes, Lan Wangji begins to feel loopy. There are two Wei Yings where there once was only one. How nice…
"You need to lie down," One of the Wei Yings says, pushing Lan Wangji onto his back. "You're gonna pass out from blood loss if you're not careful. What were you thinking?!"
His voice, continuing to berate him, is the last thing Lan Wangji hears as he loses consciousness.
~.~.~
Wei Ying is still at Lan Wangji's side when he comes to. He shifts over as Lan Wangji sits up, hands hovering worriedly.
"I am fine," Lan Wangji assures him. "We should…talk. About what the plan is."
Wei Ying's body stiffens. "I'm not giving up any of the people here. I won't turn my back on them, even if they fear and hate me."
"Of course." Lan Wangji leans over to kiss him. "I would expect no less from you. But we need a strategy to deal with Jin Guangshan and his followers. I believe my brother can be persuaded to see reason. He has been pushing back on the Jin clan's calls to attack without a proper investigation. Also he knows…or at least has suspicions about what you are. He will take some convincing about the solution we have found."
"Have we found a solution?" Wei Ying asks dubiously. "Lan Zhan, I don't think I can—"
"There is no other option." Lan Wangji does not like to interrupt, but he needs to be clear. "How often do you need to feed?"
"At least once a month."
"That will give me plenty of time to replenish." Squeezing Wei Ying's hand, he adds, "I do not mind at all."
Wei Ying leans in, and they spend some time exchanging lazy kisses with one another.
"I do have one question," says Lan Wangji when they part. Rather than asking, his eyes shift pointedly to the blood pool in the Demon-Quelling Cave.
"Pfft." Wei Ying rolls his eyes. "That's disgusting, Lan Zhan. How many normal people do you know who will eat whatever dead, rotting animal they encounter in the wild?"
Lan Wangji considers this. "Fair enough."
The rest of the night is spent strategizing.
Except for the parts when Lan Wangji has the pleasure of fucking Wei Ying again.