Wuji: A Promise Kept

5

The following morning, Wangji and Wuxian met up with Lan Xichen after having breakfast. The three were in the Hanshi, which was Lan Xichen's residence. Wangji wanted to let Lan Xichen know of the possible issues that could arise from performing Empathy on Wei Wuxian.

"I am happy to see you both here but I have to ask, is there trouble in paradise already? Are the two babies fighting?" Lan Xichen teased. Wei Wuxian could not believe that Lan Xichen of all people was teasing him right now. He didn't understand where the older Jade suddenly got the courage to do such a thing.

"Zewu Jun, have I offended you in some way?" Wei Wuxian asked, "your teasing is coming off a bit too much."

"No of course not," Lan Xichen replied, "sorry if it seemed so. I am just trying to lighten the mood. You both look worried about something."

"That's because it is something to worry about," Wei Wuxian said as he sat down with the two at the table.

"And what is worrying you?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Grandmaster Lan getting hurt during Empathy," Wei Wuxian said, "only Lan Zhan knows to some extent what Grandmaster Lan will be seeing. Empathy can be dangerous and it is not just looking through memories but also experiencing them in a way. He wants to know my past but I can guarantee you that what he will see might cause him to get hurt."

Lan Xichen was now listening attentively and taking the situation seriously. Since it involves Empathy, he too, wanted to know what was to be expected, "can you share some things that might be an example of what he'd experience?"

"You know that I do not have a golden core, correct?" Wuxian asked.

"Correct, but what does that have to do with Empathy?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Xiongzhang, Wei Ying gave up his golden core for Jiang Wanyin. Meaning he was cut open and his core was transferred," Wangji clarified.

Lan Xichen was now getting a more clear understanding, "what exactly happened with the situation with the golden core?"

Wuxian sighed and decided to be open about that moment. He had to trust the two men he was sitting with if he was to become a member of their clan, "after the massacre of Lotus Pier, Shijie, Jiang Cheng, and I went into hiding as we were the only three who survived. During that time, Shijie had gained a fever so I went out to get some medicine for her. When I returned, Jiang Cheng was gone. I had taken Shijie to her grandparents in Meishan before going back to Lotus Pier where I found that Wen Chao had captured Jiang Cheng.

I ran into Wen Ning there and he helped me get Jiang Cheng out and he was even kind enough to get Sect Leader Jiang's and Madam Yu's ashes. Wen Ning took Jiang Cheng and I to a secret supervising office in Yiling where he and his sister, Wen Qing were staying. The two hid us there for a while. During our stay, as Wen Qing was very well versed with medicine, she checked over Jiang Cheng and found that his core had been crushed by Wen Zhuliu.

I asked Wen Qing if I could look through her medical books as I wanted to find some sort of way to help Jiang Cheng. He was depressed and wasting his life away. I had to do something, anything. That was when I came across a scroll that was only a Thesis by Wen Qing of Golden Core Transfers. The chances were only guaranteed about fifty percent of it being successful.

We brought Jiang Cheng to a secluded mountain, giving him the excuse that it was where my grandmaster, Baoshan Sanren, who is my mother's master and mother, was located. He was blindfolded so he was easy to manipulate. Once he passed out, I did the core transfer. The thing is, the golden core is very fragile and could dissipate if not handled properly. I could not take anesthetics or any other pain medication to help and was awake for the entire process.

It took two nights and a day for my core to be removed and transferred successfully...let's just say, feeling that power of the core slowly dwindle away and that warmth you once carried suddenly becomes very cold, was not something I wished for anyone to experience. As I was awake for the process, Grandmaster Qiren will see that in Empathy, but also experience it. It will not be easy to even watch let alone experience it."

Lan Wangji had already heard the gist of the process of transferring the golden core but to hear Wei Wuxian talk about his experience with it, hurt him more than when he first found out about Wuxian's situation. Lan Xichen was not any better. In fact, he was now understanding why Wei Wuxian was so worried about doing Empathy.

"We will make sure to have a couple healers there, and Wangji and I will be prepared to play Soul Calming Music if necessary," Lan Xichen said, "but I understand your concerns. I appreciate you sharing them with me...why did you not tell anyone back then?"

"I was always someone who kept things to myself. Plus no one made it easy for me to come forward, who would have I spoken to about it? My trust broke in everyone back then.," Wuxian replied, "Shijie was the only person to get me to open up for the most part but when I was back for the Sunshot Campaign, I was more reserved. I had reasons for that. And the resentful energy, if certain things didn't happen to me back then, I wouldn't have picked it up. I didn't have a choice..not unless I wanted to die."

"Can you please clarify?" Xichen asked.

"Xiongzhang, those three months that Wei Ying was missing, he was trapped inside the burial mounds," Wangji told him.

Lan Xichen's eyes widened, "why?"

"A couple days after the core transfer I was waiting for Jiang Cheng at a tea house in a nearby town. When I stepped inside, I stepped into a trap and Wen Chao was there. After being beaten and tortured for a while, Wen Chao flew me over the mounds and threw me in. The resentful energy was the only reason I was alive back then. How Mo Xuanyu had my body and it's in this decent condition, I am honestly surprised. Though, I could feel the old broken bones that I used to have. A lot of my old injuries have healed but I can still feel pain every once in a while," Wuxian explained.

"Why haven't you seen one of our healers?" Lan Xichen asked.

"It's not really that bad," Wuxian said, "and I do not like healers...if you ever had Wen Qing for a healer, you'd understand why."

"Our healers are very kind and will respect your wishes. They will not do anything you are uncomfortable with," Lan Xichen said.

"Can you give me time to think about it?" Wuxian asked, "this is all new to me. I may have lived in Lotus Pier long ago but I always feared that I'd be kicked out and I did one day. I do not want to go through that again here. I am tired of being told I can call a place home and then be forced to leave. I do not like taking more than I feel that I need. As I feel that this pain has been there for so long, and no one can do anything about it, I just feel like I do not need it."

Wangji looked at Wuxian for a moment before glancing at his brother. Lan Xichen knew that it's been a very long time since Wei Wuxian had any sort of stability or comfort. The amount of fear and anxiety that radiated off the young cultivator could be felt across the table from Xichen. He didn't want Wei Wuxian to feel like that. He knows that Wangji wouldn't want that either.

"You will not have to worry about losing this place," Xichen assured Wuxian, "you will be able to call Cloud Recesses your Home. You have my word that I will help you, just as Wangji will help you."

"Thank you," Wuxian said.