Reliving Our Fears

Chapter 18: Will Lan Zhan Care?

Draining the remaining liquid from his 'Emperor's Smile', Wei Wuxian's mind raced. "Mo Xuanyu" he asked, tone with a slightly bored twang to it, "You sent me on an impossible quest, you know? I'm not even sure what my happy ending should look like." Mo Xuanyu did not seem offended. The opposite, in fact. He simply smiled, tugging at the ends of his blue ribbon. "I know somebody who can help you."

Wei Wuxian sat up straighter almost immediately, much to Mo Xuanyu's amusement. "Wei- Xiong," Mo Xuanyu stated, a smile evident in his voice, "I'm sure you have heard of a person called Lan Wangji?" Wei Wuxian's eye's widened instantly, "Lan Zhan?" He stated incredulously, forgetting to stick to honorary names, "How will he help in anything?"

Mo Xuanyu's smile melted into a grin. Wei Wuxian had a very sickening feeling in his stomach, praying that Mo Xuanyu wasn't going to say something stupid. However, Mo Xuanyu's shit-eating grin fell into something more sombre. "I really think you should talk to Hanguang-Jun," Mo Xuanyu recommended, fiddling with his ribbon again, "I think there has been a misunderstanding between you two. If you talk to him, I bet you won't regret it."

Wei Wuxian raised an eyebrow. "Lan Zhan has been dead set on killing me, just like the other sects. That's not even mentioning the fact that he is the symbol of righteousness, why would he ever bother with a demonic cultivator such as I?" 

Mo Xuanyu sighed, his eyes wary. Wei Wuxian suddenly noticed Mo Xuanyu looked very tired. "You should definitely. There are things you might not be aware of. Trust me when I say this Wei-Xiong," Mo Xuanyu sighed, "He is your only ally."

The silence stretched on as Mo Xuanyu's words sank into the room. "Ok," Wei Wuxian whispered so softly that Mo Xuanyu nearly misses it. A reassuring smile reached the corners of Mo Xuanyu's face.

Pulling the blue ribbon out of his hair, Mo Xuanyu's hair fell out of his bun. Without the hairstyle differentiating them, they looked identical again. Mo Xuanyu grimaces, "Blue really isn't my colour, is it?" Before giving Wei Wuxian the time to respond, he pulled a golden ribbon from his robes, he sighed in satisfaction, "This ribbon reminds me of my sect." 

Wei Wuxian's eyebrows shot up. "Sect? Aren't you a deity?" Mo Xuanyu shook his head, "No, I am a deity. However, I was born human. I think I studied under the Jin Sect for a bit. I can't remember anymore." Mo Xuanyu tied his hair back into a bun, continuing, "I don't think I was that good at cultivation. You must've felt how weak my golden core is. After all, you are in my body."

Wei Wuxian has indeed noticed the slightly weaker than average golden core. If it weren't for his own skill, he would've just regarded the thing as useless. However, he placed a comforting hand over Mo Xuanyu's shoulder. "It's late. Do you want to rest?" Wei Wuxian asked, trying to distract from him. Laughing slightly, Mo Xuanyu shook his head. "I don't need the things mortals need to survive. Sleep is included."

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. "So it wasn't you who was gulping down the food a few minutes ago?" Colour spread onto Mo Xuanyu's cheeks. "Just because I don't need to, doesn't mean I can't!" Mo Xuanyu squawked, indignantly. Wei Wuxian just laughed at him, plopping onto the blankets. 

"Even if you don't need sleep, I do. I'll see you in the morning."

*****

By the time morning arrived, Wei Wuxian had already thought of a plan. "The fruits of overthinking," Wei Wuxian laughed to himself, getting out of bed. 

Despite Mo Xuanyu stating that he didn't need sleep to function, he was passed out on the other bed, cuddling with the covers. Rolling his eyes, Wei Wuxian walked over, gently shaking Mo Xuanyu awake. Grumbling, Mo Xuanyu reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, fumbling with the sheets.

Once both of them (aka Mo Xuanyu) weren't half asleep, Wei Wuxian discussed his plan to the deity.

"I will kill myself today." Wei Wuxian announced. Mo Xuanyu, clearly not expecting that, nearly choked on air. Wei Wuxian paid him no mind and continued, "This will give me time to purchase a sword and arrive at the Cloud Recesses in time for the beginning of Lan Zhan's whipping.  I'll draw up a couple of spirit-attraction talismans. It should hopefully summon enough evil beings to distract everyone. I'll use this time to...uh...kidnap Lan Zhan?"

Mo Xuanyu raised an eyebrow, looking sarcastically at Wei Wuxian as if to say 'really?'. Wei Wuxian felt warmth spread to his cheeks. "Well, it's not like that. I'm just gonna take him for a while, y'know? Prove that I'm Wei Wuxian and get him to help me."

Mo Xuanyu's scepticism is reaching its peak. "And how are you going to prove that? I'm sure there have been many imposters after your death."

Shrugging his shoulders, Wei Wuxian replied, "I guess I'll just answer a few personal questions or something." Mo Xuanyu scoffs. "Sure," he laughed humorously, "It's fine even if you fail. You can just try again if he kills you."

Wei Wuxian slaps him lightly in the shoulder, slightly annoyed. "Are you going to follow me the entire time or do you have other deity things to do?"

This earns him a laugh from Mo Xuanyu. "Yeah, I have my own 'deity things' to do. Remember the other Wei Wuxian's I deleted? I need to restore them quickly or my superiors will have my head. I'll need a big field of grass to do this ritual thingy."

Wei Wuxian looks slightly confused but doesn't give it a second thought. "Sure," Wei Wuxian confirms, "Pass me that knife please." Mo Xuanyu looks around handing Wei Wuxian the knife sitting on the table. "Sure. I don't know wh- WEI-XIONG!"

Mo Xuanyu stood there in shock as Wei Wuxian slit his throat with a second's hesitation. Slowly, a soft smile graced his features. "Always a man of action, huh?" Mo Xuanyu joked aloud. Despite really wanting to see what Wei Wuxian was going to do, Mo Xuanyu had his own problems. Sighing, he paid the innkeeper and headed out, looking for a nice remote field to do some summoning.

In the meantime, Wei Wuxian woke up to the familiar softness of the grass and the gaze of the dawning afternoon.

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I couldn't find my usual border so you are just going to have to deal with this ugly one. I'm sorry T-T

My poor Mo Xuanyu deserved so much better in the cannon story! He died too quickly and we couldn't even get to know him as a character. I love including him in my stories because I can give him a personality and an identity. I always think of him as a cross between Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian. He has Wen Ning's kindness and sweetness but Wei Wuxian's mischievous nature.

Anyways, I hope you had a great day. As always, comments and tips appreciated.