Together

10. Yin Iron

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian knelt down in front of the woman. "Your highness. Lan Zhan, descendent of the Lan clan." Wei Wuxian, on the other hand looked at the woman once and then at the kneeling Lan Wangji. Realization instantly hit him. "So she is the one? The only female clan leader if the Gusu Lan Clan, the one who created the Killer-String, Lan Yi?" Wei Wuxian asked Lan Wangji, making the boy in white tug his hand. Realizing his rudeness, Wei Wuxian turned towards Lan Yi and bowed to her. "Wei Ying, disciple of the Yunmeng Jiang clan. Your highness."

Lan Yi smiled, picked up a rabbit which was beside her and started stroking its soft, white fur. "Predecessor, so the rabbits with the forehead ribbons are raised by you." Wei Wuxian noted. "These rabbits like to play a lot. At first, I was able to keep them in here, but over time, my spiritual power started fading away. That made rabbits able to come out." Lan Yi said. "Predecessor, rumor has it that you passed away years ago. How come...?" Lan Wangji asked, although he didn't complete his sentence. Lan Yi didn't say a word, although her eyes looked lost. "It has something to do with the Yin Iron, right?" Wei Wuxian asked, making Lan Yi sigh.

"That was the biggest mistake of my life. And I paid the price. With all my power, I kept the Yin Iron with me." Lan Yi said and formed the Yin Iron on her hand. Wei Wuxian looked at the piece of metal float from her hand onto the guqin. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji looked at each other once before looking at Lan Yi again.

"Predecessor, what's Yin Iron? And, where are the shouting and pounding noises coming from?" Wei Wuxian asked. "The seal is cracking as the power gets weaker. My energy is dying. And here you are. It might be destined." Lan Yi said, not making sense to neither of the boys. "Predecessor?" Wei Wuxian asked, confused.

"A hundred years ago, when the Yin iron was not in fragments, but a whole. Yiling Burial mounds back then was a celestial land. Xue Chonghai was the most powerful grandmaster back then. A hundred years passed, and still no one knows why Xue Chonghai used the Yin Iron and use living people as a sacrifice. He controlled an ancient monster, The Tortoise of Slaughter. Blood was shed." Lan Yi said. "So the five clans united, and killed Xue Chonghai." Wei Wuxian concluded. Lan Yi looked at Wei Wuxian, her expression not changing. "Young Master Wei, you are smart as I expected." She said. Wei Wuxian gave a small smile while Lan Wangji slightly tilted his head. "Xue Chonghai was executed, and The Tortoise of Slaughter was put down. Dead bodies were everywhere. And Yiling became a massive burial ground."

"Predecessor, what happened to the Yin Iron after that?" Lan Wangji asked. "Yin Iron snatched and absorbed too many living spirits, the grievances were too heavy to be dissipated." Lan Yi said. "Snatching spirits?" Wei Wuxian asked. "Yes. Yin Iron was a rare treasure, naturally grown. It was able to absorb energy from the universe." Lan Yi said. "However, Xue Chonghai fed it with living spirits and gentries with power. The Yin Iron was filled with grievance and rancor. The change was irreversible."

"After Xue Chonghai was killed, the five clans decided to suppress it, and thus broke the Yin Iron to pieces and placed them in different locations that are full of good energy. To avoid the same tragedy, the five clans agreed to never speak of the Yin Iron again." Lan Yi said. "Predecessor, with all due respect," Wei Wuxian said, "if the Yin Iron can truly absorb natural energy, we may be able to turn it into a good use." "Wei Ying." Lan Wangji warned.

"I am surprised." Lan Yi said. "Young Master Wei, what you said was the same as what I thought." Lan Yi said, shocking both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. "Being a woman, ever since I succeeded being the leader of the Lans, people never stopped criticizing." Lan Yi said, her eyes lost. "We were experiencing reconstruction of the clan. For years, I tried to break the old rule, and ways to innovate. Throughout the years, I've been fighting for the Lans. Yet I face so many obstacles. One day, while I was talking to my friend, Baoshan Sanren," she said, making Wei Wuxian widen his eyes, "she mentioned Yin Iron by accident."