Fate

Ch. 13

Wuxian was released from the hospital the next day. He was then to rest and not overwork himself. He was also not allowed to lift anything. So if he needed anything, he'd have to ask someone for help. That was the first time Wuxian was in a dilemma. He hated asking for help and having others do things for him. Wangji knew this but he would tell Wuxian every day that it is okay to ask for help, especially with him in this condition.

It was a long week but Wuxian didn't want to get out of bed much other than to clean up himself and go to the bathroom, otherwise he was in bed most of the time resting, as he was instructed. His bones that were still fractured and broken were still mending so this was a good time for them to heal with him on bed rest.

It was Friday, and Yibo and Zhan had the day off. Haikuan dropped Fanxing off at his grandparents house before heading to Yibo's. Even though Wuxian was resting, he was well enough to tell them more about their story.

"When I returned to Lotus Pier, where the Jiang Sect was, I was recovering from a fever. I was out for a few days but woke up to my Shijie tending to me. As always, I was so happy to see her. She was like a real sister to me and she was the only one who treated me as if I was her family. If not for her, I probably would have left Lotus Pier sooner. She didn't cultivate but she had other skills. She was good with medicine and was an amazing cook. Anytime I was sick or upset she'd make my favorite food...Lotus Root and Pork Ribs soup. It was the first thing she cooked for me when I first arrived at Lotus Pier," Wei Wuxian explained.

Xiao Zhan could feel such similarities between Wei Wuxian and his shijie with him and his own sister. Xuan Lu was a kind woman and was alway there for him when he needed to talk to someone or just needed a shoulder to cry on.

"I think I understand," Zhan said.

Wuxian nodded, "after a few weeks, my uncle and shijie went to visit some relatives in a different clan. While they were away, the Wens came to Lotus Pier. Wang Lingjiao, Wen Chao's mistress to be specific, came asking for me to be punished for humiliating Wen Chao. Madam Yu fell for her words, the one thing that really provoked her was Wang Lingjiao using the rumors to set her off."

"This Madam Yu, you didn't mention her before?" Xiao Zhan asked.

"She was the sect leader's wife. She did not like me being a part of her sect and from the first day I stepped into Lotus Pier, she made it clear that I was not a part of her family. Jiang Cheng and Shijie treated me as a sibling and Jiang Fengmian treated me like a son but Madam Yu was not like that. Her title is the Violet Spider for a reason. Yu Ziyuan was a beautiful woman with creamy skin and ferocity in her delicate features, which were said to be as cold as jade. She wore purple robes and a sword at her waist, as well as an amethyst ring, Zidian, on her right index finger." Wuxian said, "Yu Ziyuan had a cold and assertive personality. She was a formidable cultivator whose name alone could scare people away. She was a natural at sneering, and frequently vented her rage on her family. Though I was her whipping post."

"What rumors provoked her?" Yibo asked.

"There was a rumor about me being Jiang Fengmian's illegitimate son with my mother, which is wrong. I may not remember much about my parents but whoever started that rumor is an insult to my parents. I try not to show it but it hurts when people assume so. There was even rumors floating around that I had sexual relations with my Shijie which is absolutely not true. She was more of a mother figure to me that Yu Ziyuan," Wuxian answered.

Lan Wangji started to become agitated the more Wuxian spoke of Yu Ziyuan. He hated that family. The only Jiang he could tolerate was Jiang Yanli, and she risked her life for Wei Wuxian. Yanli was so focused on trying to find her brothers that she did not think of her consequences when she ran onto that battlefield...or if he did, she was dumb to do so. It was like she was asking for death, and she didn't even consider how it would affect her brothers later.

"Lan Zhan, I'm sure you're trying to keep calm but my hand might break if you squeeze any tighter," Wuxian warned. Lan Wangji loosened his grip and took a deep breath. He just nodded for him to continue.

"So what happened?" Zhan asked.

Wuxian let out a deep breath, before continuing to speak, "Madam Yu punished me with Zidian in front of Lingjiao. I took at least ten whips. Since it was a spiritual whip, it is just as bad as a discipline whip. One of the strikes I took sent me flying into a table. Wang Lingjiao didn't seem satisfied and asked for my right hand as compensation. She even said that she admired Madam Yu and she looked forward to making Lotus Pier an advisory office site for the Wen Sect.

Madam Yu hit her. A man named Wen Zhuliu came in to protect her. He was also called Core-Melting Hand, and was known for crushing a cultivator's golden core. After a flare was shot off to summon more Wens, Madam Yu dragged Jiang Cheng and me to the docks and bound us using Zidian. She told me to protect her children even if it cost me my life.

We ran into Uncle Jiang and Shijie, only for him to bound Shijie with us and he went back to Lotus Pier to help his wife. We eventually managed to get back and hid in the nearby woods. Shijie waited for us there while Jiang Cheng and I went to go check Lotus Pier...everyone was dead, Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu, all the disciples young and old. My sworn siblings and I were the only three left alive from the massacre. Jiang Cheng and his mother blamed me for the ambush, and Jiang Cheng blamed me for his parents death."

"Not your fault," Wangji said, "the Wens used you as an excuse but they would have gone to Lotus Pier anyway. They attacked the Nie Sect and Cloud Recesses. It wasn't your fault."

Wuxian nodded, "I am trying to believe that. I have heard it so many times that it was my fault that it's been embedded into my brain."

"With time it will be easier to accept that it was not your fault for other people's actions," Xiao Zhan said, "did you want a break or did you want to keep going?"

"Well from here, my siblings and I went into hiding. Shijie got sick so I went to go find medicine for her. When I returned, Jiang Cheng was gone. I found out that he had been captured and taken by Wen Chao. He was back at Lotus Pier. Wen Ning helped me get him out along with Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian's remains. My siblings and I were taken to Yiling and stayed with Wen Ning and Wen Qing in a secret advisory office. There was when we found out that Jiang Cheng lost his core.

I spent several days looking through books to see if I could help him in any way and I found a scroll that was only a thesis on Golden Core Transfers. No one has ever done it before and the golden core is very fragile. I could not use anesthetics or pain medicine as it could affect the core and there was only fifty percent of it being successful. I said it was fine as I wouldn't regret it even if it failed. Jiang Cheng would be the next sect leader to the Jiang Sect and he needed a core to run one. So I was awake for about three days while Wen Qing cut out my core and transferred it to Jiang Cheng," Wuxian explained.

Wangji sighed. It was the second or third time hearing Wei Wuxian speak of the transfer and it still upset him. He wasn't upset with Wuxian, as he knew it was within Wuxian's nature to be extremely selfless. He was upset with Jiang Cheng, the sects and even himself. Wei Wuxian was wronged and he may not even have realized it yet. He hoped that with the help of the others they could help convince Wei Wuxian that he was framed.