Seeking Solace

Brittle Hope; Ch. 17

  Wei Wuxian walked alongside Jiang Cheng, back to his old room, pondering how this was going to work out.

Anxiety twisted inside him. Wei Wuxian pushed it aside.

It was surreal to see his body lying so still on his old bed, pale as death. He'd seen it once, yes, but to see it again, and really take it in, and there was no hint of decay from what he could see.

Wei Wuxian hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this. He shook his head.

Jiang Cheng pulled out a delicate box hidden beside the bed and opened it. There were all kinds of research and notes and an interesting talisman Wei Wuxian had never seen before and wondered how his brother had gotten ahold of such a thing.

"I did a lot of research looking for a way to bring him back. And I found this, happened upon it really. It fell from the sky, right in front of me."

Yanling Daoren had frozen, eyes locked on the delicate talisman. "Impossible."

All eyes present turned to him, and he grimaced.

"I had long forgotten such a thing existed, but long ago, my teacher spoke of such a talisman, such a technique, and forbade the use of it, because if people learned of the power, the capabilities, their greed would know no bounds. It's a very old, sacred knowledge only she knew."

Wei Wuxian gasped. "Baoshan Sanren."

Yanling Daoren's eyes flicked to him very briefly, with a barely imperceptible nod.

"It seems that my teacher couldn't resist reaching out this one last time, for the sake of Cangse Sanren's son. Her first and last gift to Wei Wuxian, to help give him a second chance."

"There was a note with it too, but I was unable to read it...except for the name the letter is addressed to. My brother, Wei Wuxian." Jiang Cheng handed the note to Yanling Daoren, whose eyes widened when he read it and gave a laugh.

Wei Wuxian's curiosity rose up and he moved to see if he could read over the others shoulder.

     To My Dearest Pupil's Child

First, I am deeply outraged on your behalf. For what you had to endure and suffer, sweet child. For that, I am sorry. As an Immortal, many people have the notion of immortals being flawless and perfect, that we are without fault and incapable of mistakes. That is a lie.

I feel somewhat at fault, for all my students' pain and suffering. I warned them about the world, and they had known from the start, but after I taught them all they needed to know, one by one...soon they had all gone, out of my reach, and out of my protection. I am not without eyes, not without ears and though I don't leave my mountain, I have ways of knowing, hearing things. I see and hear many, many things, and I am always left with disappointment for how some of the generations of cultivators turn out over time and the legacies passed down, slowly becoming a disgrace.

There are those that say and fool heartedly believe that immortals make no mistakes and they are perfect. However, we both know that isn't true. We still carry flaws the same as any other person, as a regular mortal or cultivator. I have had quite a few requests in my lifetime so far. Sadly, it is too late for me to do anything about those. But no longer can I just not get involved to help in some small way that I can. I knew that I always want to become a great cultivator and immortal to be able to teach the students that need a different training from the rest. With that I knew I would never get married or have a family of my own. However, your mother became the closest I ever had to a daughter. You became the closest to a grandson for me. I am so proud of you, my troublesome sunzi (grandson).