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Lan Zhan opened his eyes, confusion knitting his brow. He tried to sit up but found he couldn't. His body was frozen in place, and he was on some kind of platform. He tried to call out, but his voice was silenced. So, he thought, he was allowed to see, but not move or speak. He moved his eyes in every direction, trying to take in his surroundings. It was dark, and he was alone as far as he could tell. Where was Wei Wuxian? He had always prided himself on keeping his emotions under control, even in battle he was calm and decisive. But he could feel his heartbeat becoming a little faster and sweat start to form on his brow. Where was Wei Wuxian? Worry gnawed at his gut, he knew Wei Ying could take care of himself. Hell, Wei Wuxian could talk his way out of most bad situations, that man could talk his way out of or into anything. And despite all he had gone through he had become a master at utilizing his mundane body. So where was he? He tried to call for Bichen, but his sword wouldn't answer, its energy was somehow out of his reach. "Your sword won't come right now," a woman's voice said from the shadows. "It is needed at the moment, but don't worry, it will be returned to you." From out of the darkness and into his vision walked a woman dressed in red robes. Lan Zhan's eye widen in shock, and he struggled in vain to move. Wen Qing!? She was Alive!?

"Hello Hanguang-Jun, it's been a long time" Wen Qing said and walked up to his side. He felt both hot and cold chills run through his body. She looked tired but otherwise the same and she was holding a cup in her hands. He tried to move, but he was still locked in place. Setting the cup down she said in a calm voice, "Lan-gongzi, if you want me to release you, I'm going to need you to listen and do exactly as I say." Lan Zhan slowed his breathing and closed his eyes in compliance. Wen Qing nodded her head and said, "when I release you, Do Not stand up, stay where you are and take in 11 deep breaths. Then sit up slowly, understood?" Lan Zhan blinked his eyes signaling that he understood. Wen Qing's hands shot out and hit a series of acupressure points on his body. He suddenly felt heavy and there was a pressure building inside him. He took in a breath and felt his body trying to adjust to whatever was going on. He breathed in 10 more times and then slowly sat up. He felt dizzy and swayed, Wen Qing braced him as he steadied himself. "Slowly now, here, drink this." She held out the cup of liquid to him, "It will help your body adjust to this place." He didn't reach for the cup immediately, instead he looked her in the eyes and said, "where is Wei Wuxian?" She sighed, "drink first." They stared at each other, neither blinking for a long moment. Finally, he reached out and took the cup. It had a strange floral smell but not unpleasant, he brought the cup to his lips and drank. His body relaxed and his mind cleared in an instant. "Feel better?" she asked. He hadn't realized how much pain he'd been in till it was gone. He looked at her, a thousand questions flashing through his mind. "Yes, thank you Lady Wen." He looked around then back at her, "What is this place?" She smiled a sad smile and motioned for him to follow her "come, there's someone you need to meet, and they will answer your questions." So he followed her through darkened corridors that opened into a large cavern like space. In the center was an alter where incense and candles burned, and a woman was kneeling in front of it in prayer. Wen Qing walked them up to where the woman was praying and bow to her. "Shifu, Hanguang-Jun is here." She bowed again, touched him on the shoulder and indicated that he should sit by the woman, and then left. 

Lan Zhan sat down and positioned himself in a mediative posture and waited. The woman had an aura of an immortal and he knew instantly who it must be. So he waited patiently, taking in the feel of the place. It was calm on the surface but there was a slight tremor at the core. Something had sent ripples through the peaceful energy. "You are very perceptive, Hanguang-Jun" the woman said turning towards him. Lan Zhan bowed respectfully and said "Master Baoshan Sanren." Keen eyes pierced his own, it felt like he was being stripped bare, but he held her gaze. She nodded approvingly, "Good, you'll need every ounce of strength if you want to save Wei Wuxian." Her gaze became unfocused, as if she was seeing something far away. He voice full of concern said, "Where is he? Is he alright?"  In an exasperated tone she replied, "No, he is most certainly not alright, the little fool" Lan Zhan felt himself becoming more agitated. "Baoshan Sanren please, where is Wei Ying!?"  Baoshan Sanren sighed, "His condition is stable for the moment and as long as he stays here it won't deteriorate further." She stood up and motioned for him to follow her. She spoke as they walked, "But the reality of the situation is, he can no longer stay in that body. The terms of the soul summoning have been fulfilled and now the body must be released." Lan Zhan nodded his head, "I had suspected as much." Baoshan Sanren stopped them in front of a heavy metal door that had symbols written on it. Symbols that looked very similar to ones he'd just recently seen. The stone at the base of the tree! Lan Zhan looked at her, "What is going on?" But Baoshan Sanren didn't answer him, instead she moved her arms in a series of motions, the door glowed and then opened. She looked at him and held out her hand to him and he took it. They walked into the space behind the door. It was dimly lit and there seemed to be a kind of reflective surface that lined the walls. He saw Wen Qing near the center of the room standing in front of a bed. There was a body on it, red energy and talismans swirling around it. He was shocked to see his sword and Wei Wuxian's flute Chenqing, suspended above and sending energy into the body. Realization hit him, "Wei Ying!" he cried, and started moving towards him but Baoshan Sanren stopped him. "Wait!" A sound like thunder boomed and the room vibrated with energy. "A-Qing get back!" Baoshan Sanren yelled and pulled a talisman from her robes throwing it at Wei Wuxian's body. Wen Qing rushed back to them just as a wave of red energy erupted out of him. The talisman Baoshan Sanren had released hit the red energy and stopped it before it hit them. Another wave of energy erupted and thunder boomed. Lan Zhan called in his guqin and struck a chord. Blue energy colliding with red and the force of the collision shoved them backwards. Bracing for another wave of energy he looked at Baoshan Sanren and Wen Qing in shock, "What happened to him!". He was still holding his guqin, hand poised to send another chord if needed. Wen Qing was breathing heavily and said to Baushan Sanren, "Shifu, it's getting worse. I can't calm him." Lan Zhan watched as Wei Ying's body arched, and his face contorted in pain. Red energy pulsed around him like a swarm of angry bees. Then Lan Zhan felt a tug at his energy, as if he was being pulled by force, he followed the tug towards Wei Ying. "Wait!" Wen Qing cautioned and tried to grab him, but Baoshan Sanren put a hand up and Wen Qing stopped. Lan Zhan started playing his guqin, the melody filling the room. Bichen and Chenqing started revolving, dancing with the music. Blue energy from his guqin rippled through the red and it gradually started to fade. Wei Wuxian's body began to relax, the blue energy cocooning him. The music rippled and swirled around the room. Bichen and Chenqing sent out a pulse wave and created a barrier against the red energy that still tried to creep in. Lan Zhan continued to walk closer to Wei Ying, the melody reaching its crescendo. Finally at Wei Wuxian's side Lan Zhan sent the final notes through the space and stopped playing. He placed a hand on Wei Wuxian's shoulder and quietly said, "Wei Ying... I am here."

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