Lucidity

15 ⚠️

⚠️Sensitive content in this Chapter. Content may include, coercion and manipulation, discussions of sexual acts and non-consensual sexual behavior, guilt, and depression and other psychological issues. Please read with caution...maybe even have tissues with you. I needed them writing it.⚠️
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I was honestly nervous. I did not know what to expect when we start talking with Xichen. I just want to know what is going on with him. Everyone was waiting for him. Baoshan teleports him into the safe room and I can tell he does not look good. He was actually thinner, and pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Ge, what happened to you?" I asked, "you look unwell."

He looked at me and his eyes were actually bloodshot, like he has been crying. He hardly ever cries. He was in pain, and I felt guilt run through me.

Was I too much on him in the past?

Did I cause him to become like this?

Suddenly, A'Ying, even though has his abilities suppressed, felt off. His intelligence was still there and other enhanced abilities.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"You can't feel that?" He asked, "he has malicious energy covering him."

Baoshan waved her hand and summoned so much resentful energy off him, that it could create a small army. What was happening?

"Xichen?" I asked.

Shufu removed his outer robes and looked through them. There were several talismans sewn into his robes. Somehow, A'Ying got passed the enchantment and passed some energy to Xichen. Suddenly, a white cloud appeared overhead and started to play back memories...almost like empathy.

It was showing how much time he has spent around Jin Guangyao. We had to look away at times because there were so many sexual interactions with them. Some of them, Xichen looked like he didn't want that at all.

Then what I saw next, broke my heart. Jin Guangyao using resentment on him and controlling him. He caused Xichen to forcefully cut his wrists, and he told Xichen that he was worthless as he was not doing exactly what Jin Guangyao wanted. I was so angry. No wonder he was away for weeks at a time. Jin Guangyao was torturing him.

I started to cry, "Xichen, I am so sorry," I whispered.

He looked at me, "I am sorry. I hurt my Didi. I do not deserve to be your Gege."

"Ge, you are my family. Before I met A'Ying, you were there for me. You should know that you mean the world to me, to Shufu, to our parents. You do not deserve to be treated like this. This is torture, he does not love you, he is using you and hurting you. He is feeding you lies to keep us apart. All of us here want to help you get back on your feet. Please Gege, do not leave me. I may be on my own journey now but I will always need my Gege," I told him.

He nodded, "how do I get past this?" He asked hugging me.

"You need to tell us everything you know about Jin Guangyao. If it is too much to talk about, we can use empathy again," I told him.

"He took advantage of me, our first time was consensual but then he became aggressive. He demanded I have it with him almost every day. If I refused he would find some way to hurt me. He'd whip me or stab me or even choke me...I'm so ashamed of myself," he said.

"Ge, Baoshan has ways to help you," I told him.

"How?" He asked.

"I can have your body cleansed thoroughly. There is a place I have that can clean out your essence and get rid of any impurities. It can help cleanse the mind as well. I cannot take away the painful past but I can do what I can, along with everyone here, to help you love forward," Baoshan said.

"Ge...I do not hate you. I am so sorry I said that. I was angry and I was grieving but it was not an excuse for my behavior towards you. I love that you are my brother, and I will always love you, Ge," I told him, "you were there for me once, now let me be there for you."

"You have really grown since you left Gusu," he said.

"Of course," I said, "I am married you know. I have to be an adult."

"What?!" Everyone but Baoshan and A'Ying yelled.

"How do you think A'Zhan and I became soul-bonds?" A'Ying asked, "we wanted to do it right so we married first...if it upsets you, we can set up a small ceremony or something."

"Should have known," Shufu said.

"I will always be a Lan, but I now go by Zhan Sanren, courtesy Wangji Sanren. A'Ying became Ying Sanren. We are Baoshan's disciples, and A'Ying is Baoshan's grandson, so we wanted to take her name," I said.

"You seem to have everything planned," Shufu said, "but let's get back to the main topic for the moment. We still need to clear A'Ying's name."

"Clear his name?" Xichen asked.

"Ge, A'Ying was framed. He did not kill the Jin Heirs or his Shijie. On Qionqi Road, there was a second flute and it caused A'Ying to lose control. Someone took the control away from him," I explained, "I wanted to tell you that Jin Guangyao is to be suspicious because he is now the next in line if something happens to Jin Guangshan, Jin Ling is not old enough to take over as he is still a toddler."

"It does make sense," he said, "Da-Ge?"

"He tried to harm me too, Er-Di," Chifeng Zun said. Baoshan explained how his Qi was slightly poisoned and that Jin Guangyao knew Collection of Turmoil from Gusu's forbidden library.

"He doesn't know of the forbidden library, nor would I give him access to such a book," Xichen said.

"Someone might have helped him then, or maybe he manipulated you somehow and you do not remember," A'Ying suggested, "Jin Guangyao is going to be questioned, and I will be the one to do it."

"You and I can tell the difference between the truths and the lies. We can question him together," I said.

"He does not know I am here, so maybe I can get him to appear somewhere," Xichen suggested.

"We will be nearby then to assist," Shufu said, "Jin Guangyao is already doing to be locked up for humiliating a prominent figure. Meaning you."

"Thank you for helping me," Xichen said.

"Thank you for coming," I told him, "I hope we can see each other again more."

"You have my word, I will do what I can to make it up to you and A'Xian," Xichen said.