They approach the cottage, scan the thicket, and peer in through the windows. Once they're sure no one is around, the juniors push open the door and carefully trudge in, down the dimly lit tunnel into the room at the front. They stop just inside of the room and stare around in absolute amazement.
The room is rectangular and spacious. Two old and worn chairs sit in the middle of the room with an upturned wooden box in between them to serve as a table. Two benches line the far end of the room, draped with dusty carpets and grimy linens. Pots and pans hang from the low ceiling, and the entire building smells like sulphur. But what catches the juniors' attention are the endless amounts of marked talismans, acupuncture needles, and sketched arrays decorating the walls.
Ah Yuan wanders to the closest wall, listing all the present cultivation items out loud, "Sentience runes, concilium powder, control talismans—these are all demonic cultivation items! Why does Sister Wen have these things?"
"They must have something to do with her meeting with Lan Clan Advisor, which would explain why Zewu Jun is trying so hard to hide them," says Jingyi.
"If that's true, then does that mean we can't even trust our own elders?" Jin Ling jumps in, unable to smother a twinge of fear in his tone.
"No, there has to be someone we can tell..." Ah Yuan paces around the room, wracking his thoughts. Then at last, his eyes light up. "Brother Wei! Of course! He's an expert in demonic cultivation. Everyone! Grab anything you think might be useful."
Everyone begins snatching runes, charms, and cultivation items from the room and stuffing them into pockets and bags. Jingyi unpins a talisman from behind the front door, only for a hand to jab a needle swiftly into the aging wood, just an inch away from his face. Jingyi yelps.
"I told you not to come back," a familiar icy voice snarls.
Sister Wen slinks into the room and yanks the needle out of the door with a grating krrk!
Jingyi flinches at the sound. Ah Yuan and Jin Ling swerve their heads towards the voice.
She glares around the room, but when she lays her eyes on Ah Yuan, her cold demeanour instantly melts away, and a bewildered expression befalls her. "Ah Yuan?! What are you doing here?!"
And then her gaze falls to the talismans and runes in the juniors' hands. Sister Wen frowns. Her eyes widen with alarm.
"What are you doing with those?" she demands. "Give them to me!"
She makes for the talisman in Ah Yuan's hand, but he holds it out of reach. He stares at her firmly, "Sister Wen... what are you doing with these demonic cultivation items?"
For a moment, Sister Wen is stupefied, surprised at his sudden act of rebellion. Then her gaze hardens. "You shouldn't be here. All of you, leave now."
"Not until you tell me what you're—"
"I can't tell you anything. You three need to go," she says, trying to shoo them out of the hut whilst ignoring Jingyi and Jin Ling's protests and Ah Yuan's interrogative questions. Just when Sister Wen manages to grab each of the juniors' scruffs, another voice utters.
"Ah Qing, forget it. They've already seen."
Sister Wen and the juniors turn to the doorway in time to see a tall, muscular figure duck through into the room. Cracks dance across his pale skin from his neck to his face. Despite his delicate features, he has a melancholy air about him. His clothes are tattered at the hems and sleeves, and black chains trail from handcuffs around his wrists and ankles.
"Brother Wen!" Ah Yuan exclaims. He wriggles out of Sister Wen's grasp, rushes forward, and throws his arms around Wen Ning.
"I never thought I'd see you again." Ah Yuan's voice is muffled by Brother Wen's robes.
"It's alright. I'm here," murmurs Brother Wen back, returning his embrace.
Ah Yuan pulls away, his expression changing becoming solemn. "What are you doing in Gusu? Both of you?"
"Ah Yuan, don't—" Sister Wen starts to mutter.
"No, I want to know. Why are you both in Gusu? Why do you have illegal cultivation items? And why were you—" he juts his chin in Sister Wen's direction "—with Lan Clan Advisor?"
Her eyes widen in shock. "How did you—"
"Jingyi," is all Ah Yuan says.
Sister Wen's eyes flicker to the Lan Clan disciple and then fly back to Ah Yuan's expectant gaze.
She lowers her eyes, "Ah Yuan... i-it's not that simple... He gave me no choice."
"Who? Zewu Jun?" asks Jingyi.
Sister Wen doesn't reply. She exchanges worried looks with Brother Wen.
"...Sister Wen. What did Lan Clan Advisor do... what did you do?" Ah Yuan says slowly.
Sister Wen is silent, jaw clenching. But then she opens her mouth and starts to speak.
•••
Ah Yuan can barely register her words, too shocked to do so. He whirls around, only to find Jingyi and Jin Ling staring back at him, at Sister Wen, eyes pricked with astonishment and bewilderment. Ah Yuan swerves back around to face Sister Wen.
"Oh my..." whispers Ah Yuan.
YOU ARE READING
this changes everything. ⟲ wangxian
Fanfiction"Wangji... Rule 2982-" Lan Wangji stiffens. "-you know you can't be with him. It's been many moons for you two now, so I can predict you'll feel... energised. Obviously, your health will improve. And that's what we want; that's what's good for you...
