Phoenix

chapter 24*Revised*

             
                Setting up the barrier around the Lan Sect was a breeze for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. They were smart. They had blood-wired the barrier to themselves and Lan Xichen as another safety net. If the elders tried something to harm Wei Wuxian, their barriers would fall. After a show of how powerful the barrier was without faltering, most of the Sects agreed to go to war. The Jin sect still didn't think war was necessary. 

               Within the next week, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji had to fly to all their allied sects. They set up barriers keyed to each sect leader. They set up even the Jiang sect's barrier, much to Lan Wangji's chagrin. Thankfully a few of the Lan Sect warriors Wei Wuxian had healed had volunteered to be guards for their trip to Yunmeng. 

               Nie Huasang had ensured everyone knew how terribly Wei Wuxian had been treated in his childhood home. Sometimes, Lan Wangji would stop and listen to the stories being told. Wei Wuxian was still a bit tight-lipped on the matter, not wanting to remember the pain of his past. 

             Huasang had no reason to stay silent about some of the less horrifying stories he knew, like the one that had Lan Wangji wanting to fly to Yunmeng and burn down the sect himself. There was no reason to constantly drown a child to activate his powers. It had taken a lot of persuasion, a bowl of Yanli's soup, and a lot of different puppy eyes from his family to stop him.

              Their brief stay in Yunmeng was hell in simple terms. There were assassination attempts at almost every turn. They couldn't link back to the Jiang leaders, no matter how hard they tried. It was a relief when they finished setting up the barrier and headed back to the Lan Sect. A little after midday, they reached the gates. Their group was extremely glad to be back. 

            The warriors finally relaxed. During the trip, they had grown closer to the pair, and the constant threat was infuriating. To them, Wei Wuxian was a bright and friendly man capable of drawing anyone in. The fact that his face lit up only when seeing his husband made them happy to be able to help keep them together. They had even gotten to see a softer side to their cold second young master. With his mate around, the man didn't react as sharply as before. Together, they seemed to shine a perfect example of what their clan's main family should be. 

            They were met by a nervous-looking Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli. Wei Wuxian felt trepidation as his elder siblings approached slowly. He kept a big smile on his face, and looked at his husband for his reaction. Lan Wangji just looked as stoic as ever, greeting their siblings. Lan Xichen seemed to wait until their escort went ahead. Once alone at the gates, he resumed the conversation. 

            " A-Xian, there are a few people here who want to speak to you. They have refused to speak to anyone else. Their robes are the white and red robes of the Wen Sect." Lan Wangji grabbed Wei Wuxian's hand while Wei Wuxian steeled himself for whatever would happen next. " Why didn't you call using the earring? And the Lan elders? They are probably not happy with people coming here for me." Lan Xichen and Jiang Yanli just smiled widely before telling him not to worry about them. They were trying to push them toward the main entrance playfully. Wei Wuxian couldn't help but laugh loudly as his sister tickled his side to hurry him up.

          Inside the gates, Wei Wuxian was greeted by a bunch of tiny little Lans. They all had big sparkling eyes and excited smiles. Swiftly, they walked over to the returning duo at a speed that could almost be called running. They tackled Wei Wuxian by hugging his legs, making him laugh as the group collapsed on the floor. 

          The kids exclaimed how much they missed him and how they had been taking good care of the bracelets he had gifted them. It warmed Lan Wangji's heart to see his husband so happy. Wei Wuxian was holding back tears as he hugged every kid. Their parents hurriedly tried to usher them away with gentle smiles and apologies to the new husbands. Wei Wuxian just waved the apologies away, making sure they knew he enjoyed the children's heartfelt behavior.