this changes everything. ⟲ wangxian

37. Resolutions

Ah Xian stands alone in the middle of a vast expanse of land, facing miles upon miles of thick fog that surrounds him. He squints, eyes straining. The mist seems to stretch on for forever, obscuring his view of the nearby trees, mountains, and grounds before him.

With nothing else to do, Ah Xian begins to walk. He heads in the direction of the fog, stepping over fallen trees and small streams, but the mist doesn't seem to clear. After what feels like hours, Ah Xian's hears a voice, and soon, beyond the fog, a silhouette.

"Who's there?" he calls out. "...Ah Yuan? Ah Qing? Is that you?"

He receives no reply.

At first the haze remains unchanging. Then, suddenly, it begins to clear. The wind picks up and roars past his ears, a tornado of incomprehensible noise. The haze scatters and strews out of sight, disappearing behind the trees to reveal a figure: the silhouette of a man.

Ah Xian's eyes widen.

Ah Xian tries going over to him, but then he feels a pair of hands grab his shoulders. They begin shaking him.

"Hey... s-stop that!" he stammers. He grabs at the hands, attempting to pry them off, but he lands on nothing. Invisible. He grits his teeth. "Whoever the hell—stop it... get off me! Lan Zhan!" Sweat beads on his brow. "LAN ZHAN!"

"Brother Wei! Brother Wei!"

Ah Xian jolts awake with a war cry, hands poised fiercely before his face in a fighting stance. His panicked position wanes when he notices the room around him. He is reclined on one of the wooden benches in a sodden hut—Wen Qing's hut—blinding beams of sunlight burning through a crack in the window shutters, firing Ah Xian's chest with an uncomfortable stiffness.

Ah Xian halts abruptly.

Something is different.

The shadowed face before him comes into perspective, and it is Ah Yuan. Gazing hopefully, worriedly down at him.

The wide worried eyes brighten as Ah Xian blinks dazedly back at him.

"Guys! Brother Wei, he's awake!"

"About time," grumbles Jin Ling, but he can't hide the comforted sigh that eases off his chest. He bristles. "Uncle Wei, you practically scared the crap out of us with all your yelling! It was like you were having a heart attack!"

"Jin Ling thought you were going to die in your sleep," reveals Jingyi. "He was terribly worried."

At this, the Jin Clan Leader stiffens, face blossoming red, "Was not! Jingyi is the one who was frightened, Uncle."

"C'mon lads! I think we should give him a bit of space," says an all too familiar voice. It makes Ah Xian wonder if he's still dreaming.

He sits up. Ah Ning stands before him, towering slightly over the three juniors in their shiny silver and gold robes. Four pairs of eyes gaze curiously and expectantly down at the dazed man.

"What... how... Wen Ning," mutters Ah Xian, expression bewildered. His old friend smiles kindly down at him, eyes familiar in their sweetness. "Bloody hell. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh. Uh..." the tall lumbering figure begins scratching the back of his neck, soft smile replaced with an unfathomable nervousness. "That's a pretty long story."

"And... you three!" exclaims Ah Xian. "What in the four nine-tailed foxes are you doing here? With Ah Ning, a-and—" He is intercepted by the pang of an unprecedented headache. Cursing, he clutches his head. "...ow?"

"Ahh. Side effects of the orientation bender charm," explains Wen Ning chummily. "Sometimes they give you these explosive headaches. I would know; I was my sister's first test subject when she was still studying Level 6 of Advanced Identity-Warping Charms."

"Like that's of any importance!" Jin Ling butts in. He turns to the Yiling Patriarch, eyes triumphant. "You won't believe what we found, Uncle Yiling Patriarch. You see—"

"Zewu Jun framed you!" interjects Ah Yuan animatedly. "To make it appear as if you attacked Lady Gu—"

"And then you were enchanted into being sexually attracted to women—" adds Jingyi.

"I knew something wasn't right, I tell you!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down, little ones, before you hurt yourselves..." the three juniors, aged 18, do not appreciate the comment. It takes a long moment for the tornado of information to absorb into Ah Xian's mind. A sick feeling settles in his stomach. He gasps a laugh. "Hang on. What... what are you talking about? You kids and your jokes! Ah Yuan, I expected better from you, at least. Maybe not Jingyi."

Jingyi frowns.

Ah Yuan says, "But Brother Wei, it's the truth!"

"By the gods, if you clowns spent as much time pulling pranks as you did studying, you'd have overthrown Lan Zhan already."

"They're telling the truth."

Ah Xian startles as Wen Qing enters the room, her eyes downcast and hands folded in front of her. She raises them slowly to meet his, and he notices—guilt like steel in her irises.

"Ah Qing," His demeanour shifts. "And you know this how, exactly?"

"Because I'm the one who casted the enchantment."

•••

"Stay back!" Ah Xian shouts, jerking away from her. Every fibre in his being sizzles and burns. Horror and rage and disbelief swirls around him all at once, making him like a cauldron ready to blow. "You... I can't believe... I trusted you!"

"I'm here to explain—"

"Explain what? How you manipulated me and stuck a needle in my neck four moons ago?" Ah Xian hisses—a sound he had no idea he was capable of making until now.

"Had there been any other way, I would've never done that to you!" she exclaims. Her eyes flood with pleading. "Ah Xian, please, you have to listen to me. We are a part of something bigger—bigger than any of this. You have to trust me."

The icy glower he powers across the chamber could have frozen an ocean.

"How am I ever supposed to trust you again?"

"Brother Wei." This comes from Ah Yuan. He, Jingyi and Jin Ling have all fallen silent, staring earnestly at Wei Wuxian. The Yiling Patriarch looks into Ah Yuan's pleading eyes. "It's really not what you think... you have to listen to her."

Ah Xian glances at the other two young cultivators questioningly. Then at Ah Ning, who's head is bowed deeply, face suddenly obscured by a shadow.

Ah Xian rises from his bed and makes his way to the small oak dining table where Wen Qing is seated, and sits opposite her.