Lan Qiren was sitting in his comfortable high chair that Wen Ning had made for him and he was enjoying the sun. The late summer in the back hills of the Cloud Recesses, far from any noisy disciples and even worse sect elders demanding he came back to advise the Chief Cultivator was the best. There was a cup of tea on the table and he took sips here and there, tasting the fragrant medicinal beverage as if it was the best wine, not at all bitter or distasteful. Wen Ning knew how to make the remainder of his days easy so he could pass them in a comfortable peace.
After the successful removal of his golden core, Lan Qiren had spent a few weeks under the fierce corpse's watchful eyes and attentive hands. For someone who had once been named a Ghost General, Wen Ning was uncharacteristically kind and careful. He granted Lan Qiren's every wish even before the elder thought about it. In sum, there was nothing that he was missing.
On the contrary really. Ever since he had helped to save Wei Wuxian, his life had actually turned for the better, he had never imagined his retirement to be so enjoyable. He was being taken care of, but not excessively to the point where he would get annoyed. His family often came to visit him and he only accepted a few other friends to pass by. No nosy Gusu Lan sect elders allowed.
Lan Qiren would have liked to say that everything was now looking bright and peaceful for him, except for the lingering pain where his golden core had once been and the overall state of his body that he still had a kind of hard time getting used to. Due to his old age, the injury from the operation had been healing only slowly and it was still bothering him at times.
He had come to admire Wei Wuxian a lot more since he did not have his golden core anymore, he could not imagine how he would have reacted had he been young and his future had been taken from him, or more precisely given away by his own will. Like this, he was actually enjoying not having to deal with anything too much. He was glad to leave the cultivation world behind. He had not realized it before, but he had been tired of everything, his retirement had done him good.
"Uncle," Lan Qiren was disturbed from his peaceful thoughts be Lan Xichen's gentle voice. Although his older nephew was still reluctant to leave his seclusion, he came to visit from time to time, keeping his uncle company. "I should probably get going now. I heard that Wangji and Young Master Wei are coming by today, I would hate to be in the way."
Lan Qiren only nodded. He understood that Lan Xichen was saying; it was not so much about being in the way, they would have all been delighted to see him out of his self-imposed seclusion, and more about not being prepared to deal with too many people at once. And Lan Qiren could not begrudge him, since Wei Wuxian had gotten a golden core and recovered, he had been just as much of a loud and energetic mess as when he had been a teenager. It was such a stark contrast to his previous – now Lan Qiren could not name it otherwise but careful – behaviour.
"Yes, they sent a word about their visit. Apparently, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi are coming as well to greet Uncle Lan." Wen Ning who had been until then standing on the side, giving them some space, confirmed.
Lan Qiren internally smiled, like every other time, at the familiar addressing. It had taken him a long time to convince Wen Ning to stop using his title. He was not an elder of the Gusu Lan sect anymore, he did not want to be anyone's master. As such, he had asked the fierce corpse to think about him as a family, thus the addressing of 'Uncle'. Lan Qiren found it kind of endearing.
Lan Xichen gave him a smile and stood up. He bowed politely to both him and Wen Ning and excused himself. His retreating back seemed tired and his steps were slow. He truly needed some more time to heal, Lan Qiren thought. Perhaps he could try inviting him to stay for longer when it would be just Lan Wangji coming.
Lan Qiren finished his cup of medicinal tea and Wen Ning diligently stepped closer and poured him another one. The elder smiled a little at him, feeling like he was being spoiled. Although his health was not so bad that he would not be able to even serve himself a cup of tea, he still appreciated these small caring gestures. He knew that Wen Ning enjoyed taking care of him and by now, considered him the same as one of the elderly relatives he had lost when Burial Mounds had been sieged.
They both profited from this relationship and Lan Qiren did not have any ambition to change this. In fact, despite Wen Ning being a fierce corpse once roused with help of demonic cultivation, he had come to care for him as a son. It was adorable how clumsy and shy the terrible Ghost General was most of the time. Lan Qiren's heart was full of fondness.
It outright overflew though when he heard a loud voice calling from already far away: "Uncle Lan, Wen Ning, we have come!"
Lan Qiren could not quite mask his smile this time, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and the two teenagers who were nothing short of his grand-nephews were just then coming up the steep path to his retirement house. They were all wearing white, just like proper members of the Gusu Lan sect. Wei Wuxian was waiving at him and Wen Ning and already grinning from far away. Lan Qiren was sure that if he had not been keeping his pace matching to Lan Wangji's, he would have already been running to meet him.
Lan Qiren did his best to put on a strict expression, he had a reputation to uphold in front of the youngsters. When the small family reached him and Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhui kneed on each side of his high chair, he scolded without a bark to his words: "Wei Wuxian, shouting, running and smiling foolishly is forbidden in the Cloud Recesses."
Wei Wuxian took his joke as one it was. He grinned even wider and put his hand up with three fingers raised, as if taking an oath: "Uncle Lan, I promise I will be the most diligent disciple of the Gusu Lan sect. Next time."
It made everyone including Lan Qiren and Lan Wangji laugh. Everything was alright with the world and Lan Qiren was glad that the younger generation was doing so well after all the suffering they had endured. It had not broken them; it had made them stronger and helped them all to appreciate the simple things in life. It had been Wei Wuxian who had taught this most important lesson to Lan Qiren.
Even without a golden core or a prominent position in one of the most powerful cultivation sects, he was still enjoying his life as never before. He was surrounded by his family and was spending his days in peace. They all were. Was there anything more they could wish for? Lan Qiren did not think there was, life was as good as it could get.
And everyone lived happily ever after :)
Thank you for staying with me through this rollercoaster of a story and for your continuous support. It makes me really happy and wanting to finish the srtory when I know there is someone out there rooting for the characters just as I am. Although I did not manage to put everything I wanted into it and some parts may have felt rushed, I still hope you were able to enjoy it at least a little bit.
If you feel like it, I would be glad if you let me know what you thought about it :)
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The most precious medicine
Fanfiction"I am sorry, Master Lan, Young Master Wei, there is nothing I can do." The best healer of the Cloud Recesses told them with a serious face. Lan Qiren collapsed on his chair, his knees had suddenly become too weak to hold him standing. How could it b...
