You've Changed | Wangxian |

Chapter 22

3rd Person POV

The days following the groups return were relatively uneventful. Wei Ying was withdrawn and disengaged from the group and isolated himself with meaningless jobs. He hadn't let any doctors near to him and hopes for reversing any of his injuries were very slim. He couldn't stand it being around people; it was just as he had feared. People pitied him and felt sorry, his siblings looked burdened and there was no one who was prepared to treat him the same as before. Well, almost no one.

Lan Wangji was still the same upright, truthful and severe character he had been before. Sometimes Wei Ying could see genuine worry mixed with an unknown emotion flicker across his face but it was gone in an instant. He felt drawn to the man's honesty and bluntness as someone to be relied upon. In a way, they were quite similar in their need to cover and hide their true emotions to please others (Wei Ying his siblings and Lan Wangji his Uncle and brother) but in each other's presence their was a sense of relief from the tension.

Each had seen the other through hard times so the pretence was lost. Occasionally, Wei Ying would find himself sat in the base's makeshift library with the other man and the resultant sense of ease was the only time Wei Ying could feel truly himself. It was however only a rarity - Wei Ying could not force himself so selfishly upon the Lan and annoy him as he knew he was. Those times brought nostalgic reflection of a carefree past of childishness and arrogance at Gusu upon both of the gentlemen and both wished that they could rewind back to that better time.

In relation to his siblings, Wei Ying tried to distance himself as much as possible. It felt wrong being back with them, like something in their dynamic had changed and knocked them of course and he could sense the anger and jealousy radiating off of Jiang Cheng in response but he just wasn't ready to face it. It could wait. 

At the moment, progress was still slow on the battlefields and new plans were to be established in a meeting. He hadn't actually been invited - many still perceived him to unfit to fight - however it seemed as though Lan Wangji had deliberately leaked the information to him under the pretence of not knowing of his presence. Wei Ying would attend. The only reason he could stomach staying here was the promise that he would bring his wrath upon the Wen's and avenge the wrongdoers for the destruction of his family and home.

As the sun settled beneath the clouds for the evening, the meeting was already in session. Suddenly, the doors flew open and Wei Ying strode in. Concern and confusion adorned itself onto the occupants faces (except from rather coincidentally Lan Wangji's who Wei Ying could have sworn was suppressing a smirk).

"Young Master Wei, welcome," greeted Zewujun who also seemed unsurprised at the intrusion, "we were just discussing our plan of action going forward. Any suggestions on what we should do?"

"I'm sure it's not my area of expertise so I wouldn't know. I will be fine with anything as long as I can be on the front line and like the rest of you lead the war against the Wen's," he responded.

"Ah yes. I'm sure that will be okay." Came the response.

"He can't do that, he's unfit to fight! He'll just slow us down. Just because you want to be a hero..." shouted one representative. The same man proceeded to whisper under his breath,"it's not our fault that you have become a useless piece of trash, your time is over, why do we all have to pretend like he's so special".

Unfortunately for the man, Wei Ying had great hearing - one of the side effects of controlling it with dark energy. Originally he had intended to ignore the ignorant man but he felt that the same emotions were probably rippling around many of the others so he addressed the issue.

A widened smile spread across his face in a display of deliberately undisguised falsness before he spun around and glared at the individual. 

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He inquired.

"Wei Ying, stop..." warned Jiang Cheng

"No no, it's okay. Would you like me to remind you young master of what this useless piece of trash can do." He seethed, a steadily increasing cloud of dark energy gathering behind him. "Should I remind you of how I single-handedly wiped out an entire camp of Wen soldiers or how I tortured and murdered Wen Chao and his pathetic fling 'Jiao-jiao'? No? Well I'd like to know what you've done all this time whilst I was fighting. Pathetic, what right do you have to say that about someone else? We should present a united front of strong, righteous people yet we have such degrading and weak mindsets? I will consult the plans tomorrow. I want to leave for the front line as soon as possible."He gave an over exaggerated bow and then stormed out.

If there was one thing he had come to hate, it was the foolish acts of greed and self-preservation which drove the sects. All of the fakeness and niceties to gain favour and suck up to those in power maddened him. But he had something to drive him now. He would avenge those who had suffered. He would defeat the Wens.