Who You Are

Chapter 11 - Wrong Choice of Words

Italics - commentary/setting/narrator
Bold - person speaking
Bold w/ Italics - thoughts
Plain - not part of the screening, people interacting outside of screen.
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"Maybe it doesn't work anymore," an elder cultivator said.

"How would it just suddenly stop working?" Another cultivator, a bit younger, asked, "I worked about twenty miles away from here, why suddenly stop working now?"

"It's just a compass, find a new one," the elder suggested.

"No, this isn't just some compass, you know who's this used to be? Who created it?" The young cultivator asked.

"Does it look like I know? Or care?" The elder asked in response.

"You should, this is a priceless treasure that used to belong to the Yiling Patriarch. Having it, I can track down any evil spirit or creature with it. It's called the Compass of Evil," the younger said.

Sitting off in the distance, wearing his silver mask, and black robes, beside a donkey was Wei Wuxian. He caught a piece of their conversation, making him choke on some of his water. He wanted to chime in, but he just decided it wasn't worth it. He stood to leave but the donkey he was with was not giving in to him.

...

"A'Xian made a compass like that?" Jiang Fengmian asked, "that's quite a useful item."

Wei Wuxian just nodded when Jiang Fengmian looked at him. Speaking with the Jiangs are not an easy task for him right now. Jiang Fengmian was a bit surprised to see Wai Wuxian so quiet towards him. He wondered just how much the boy had been through to just shut himself way from people he was so close to. Unknown to him though, people have blamed Wei Wuxian for his and his wife's death for years, including himself. That was why he was so silent. He didn't know how to speak to the Jiangs anymore.

"You're quiet," Lan Zhan told him with his lips almost pressed against Wei Ying's ear. His head was resting on Lan Zhan's shoulder so it was easy for Lan Zhan to speak so softly to him without the bother of others, "it's unlike you to be this quiet."

"I don't have anything to say," Wei Ying said back to Lan Zhan just loud enough for him to hear only.

Lan Zhan rested his cheek to Wei Ying's forehead as he reached his right hand up and placed it in the back of his head. He tangled his fingers into the man's silk soft hair, letting the tips of his fingers gently graze across his scalp. Wei Ying placed a hand onto Lan Zhan's chest as he melted into him with a purr escaping him. As Lan Zhan comforted his husband he turned his attention back to the screen.

...

Eventually a young woman skipped over to Wei Wuxian and handed him an apple. That apple enticed the donkey to pay attention and move. So he named the donkey, Little Apple (Xiǎo píngguǒ). He then was told the story of the young woman, A-Yan. She lost her husband, she lost her soul. Her father wished for it back but hasn't been the same since.

"Help!"

"Get us down!"

Wei Wuxian heard cries for help off in the distance. He came to find out he was located near Dafan Mountain. It was a place where a lot can happen. So he was in a good place to investigate spirits and ghouls. Wei Wuxian ran over to saw dozens of people in spirit trapping nets. Those type of nets are known to be expensive, so someone to have several hanging around in the area must be very wealthy. Wei Wuxian was going to help them but a saw a young junior in white and gold robes and vermilion mark on his forehead.

He knew those robes anywhere. They were from none other than the Lanling Jin Sect. In Wei Wuxian's opinion and observations over the years in his past life, he has grown to know they are just power hungry and arrogant cultivators. They flashed and threw their money around like it was something to just flaunt or throw away. Seeing that the spirit trapping next were the Jin Clan's it made since why there was so many.