A Means to an End (WangXian)

Talismans

Wei Wuxian was finally released from the infirmary. The first thing he did when Wen Qing finally told him he could leave the stuffy room was run in the forest next to a stream. He couldn't help it. He had been sitting and confined to one room for too long. His energy was brimming, so he snuck away from everyone and found a secluded spot where he could run around, jump, and roll in the grass all he wanted.

If anyone were to catch him, it would be the death of him.

He was told he still needed to take it easy. He had a couple wounds that were not fully healed, but Wei Wuxian was terrible at listening. He just wanted to feel free again. It had been too long since he got the chance to act his age (or younger, some might argue).

When he emerged from the woods again he was instantly bombarded by a worried Nie Huaisang, a worried shijie, and a fuming Jiang Wanyin. It had been their turn to keep an eye on him while Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen had another meeting with their uncle. It was supposedly about the upcoming visit from Nie Mingjue.

"Wei Wuxian! Where the hell were you?" he shouted at his brother.

He gave his brother a cheeky smile. "Nowhere," he said innocently.

"Wei-xiong, you're covered in grass," the Nie laughed.

It was then that Wei Wuxian looked down at his clothes and could see grass and leaves stuck all over him.

He couldn't help but laugh before running off to change before any Lan could see him.

When he finished that, he found Lan Wangji in the library at the time they had agreed to meet. He was strangely not studying.

"Lan Zhan, are those maps?" he asked.

"Mn, of Wen Clan territory," he responded.

Wei Wuxian looked down at the map. "I think that's the cave we get trapped in." He pointed down at a specific corner of the map. "That stream right there is how everyone escaped, but according to Jiang Cheng, the Wen's had been lying in wait. They ambushed them the moment they got out of the water."

"They knew?" he asked.

Wei Wuxian shook his head. "I don't think they did. I think they had people completely surrounding the area in case there was even the slightest chance of escape. They wanted us to die in that cave."

Lan Wangji frowned, but he marked down the spot Wei Wuxian had mentioned for future reference.

Wei Wuxian went over to a corner of the room and pulled a few books out before sitting beside Lan Wangji. He planned to work while in the library as well. He set the books down and took out some paper, ink, and a quill.

Lan Wangji watched him the entire time silently. He saw Wei Wuxian stick his tongue out in concentration as he started drawing out messy notes on the paper. His writing was so rushed and chaotic that Lan Wangji couldn't tell what any of it had said. Wei Wuxian then pulled out one of the books and flipped to a particular page. He realized it was a book on talismans. In particular, this book was about defensive talismans like shields, protection charms, and barriers.

"Wei Ying?" he questioned.

Wei Wuxian looked up at him briefly before going back to work. "I want to improve the barrier talismans," he said without pulling away from his work.

"Improve?"

"Yes, one of the reasons the Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier was attacked was because of the barriers not holding. Well, that and the fact that Lotus Pier doesn't use barriers often. It's not really been our forte compared to the Cloud Recesses."

"Mn. They were specially designed."

"I remember learning about it in Lan Qiren's class, but they were created hundreds of years ago. There's been no improvements done on them since," he explained.