Backlash Part 2

Chapter 233: Baifeng Mountain - Lan Wangji

"Wei Ying!" The very fabric of Lan Wangji's being resonated as he called Wei Ying's name. Finding Wei Ying was everything Lan Wangji had been desperately struggling for for months. Finding Wei Ying now, when Lan Wangji had just left Nuan-er in Wei Qing's expert care, was like the first breath of air after nearly drowning. Painful, and gasping, and still such a desperate relief.

Between one breath and the next Lan Wangji was there. Close enough to touch. Close enough to know that Wei Ying was real and not a figment of his imagination. Wei Ying's gaze was glassy and vague, like he was struggling to focus on the things around him. It was achingly familiar, bringing Lan Wangji's mind back to countless instances where Wei Ying had become lost between the past and present. Lan Wangji understood it so much more now than he did before. He had understood it intellectually. It had made sense and Lan Wangji was happy to do anything that helped. But Lan Wangji knew it now. He knew it viscerally. Had felt it and struggled with it.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying's voice was breathy. Lan Wangji's name was half a question, like Wei Ying wasn't entirely certain that Lan Wangji was actually there. Wei Ying's eyes blinked into focus momentarily. "Nuan-er," Wei Ying's voice was filled with urgency. "We have to find her! I need... I need talisman paper! She was supposed to sneak out when they were moving me from the cell. I didn't want her to go alone, but it was the only chance. She had her Don't-Look-At-Me, but I don't know how many hours it might have been since they used the light-transmitting mirror. I don't know how long it took me to reverse the array, but I had to make two attempts and that must have been hours ago. She might still be trapped inside somewhere, but even if she made it outside she wouldn't know where to go from there."

Wei Ying's words tumbled out one over the other in a barely intelligible rush. As he began searching himself, presumably for the mentioned talisman paper. Suibian was thrown to the ground in frustration. The naked blade clattering against large rock before falling into the dirt. It left a small speckled pattern of blood against the rock it had struck. There was a slight sharpening in the resentful energy of the area as Wei Ying's eyes flashed red in his frustration.

"Why don't I have talisman paper?!" The frustration in Wei Ying's voice began to overpower the anxiety of before. The way the resentful energy fluctuated around Wei Ying in response to his emotions was worrying. It felt unusually sharp and hostile, less protective and defensive than Lan Wangji had come to expect. "We have to find her before the Jins do. If Jin Guangyao or Xue Yang find her they're going to hurt her!"

"Wei Ying." Lan Wangji gripped Wei Ying by the shoulders as he interrupted his spiral. Wei Ying had hardly taken a breath between his sentences at it made it incredibly difficult for Lan Wangji to respond with the reassurance that Nuan-er was safe.

Wei Ying flinched at the abrupt contact when Lan Wangji touched him. It hurt. Lan Wangji felt that flinch like the sharp snap of a broken bone. Lan Wangji swallowed past the ache in his chest and maintained a gentle but firm grip on Wei Ying's shoulders. "Nuan-er is safe. She is with Wei Qing and Xiongzhang."

Wei Ying stared at him, blinking like he couldn't comprehend what Lan Wangji was saying. Lan Wangji waited for the words to sink in. Waited for the spark of recognition and the relief that would follow once Wei Ying understood that their daughter was safe. There was a small flicker in Wei Ying's eyes, some measure of urgency that slipped away leaving Wei Ying's gaze emptier for its absence. It was not the release of tension or breath of relief that Lan Wangji had expected. Something worn and exhausted intensified in the way Wei Ying held himself. It looked terrifyingly similar to an expression of surrender.

Lan Wangji pulled Wei Ying against his chest. The look on Wei Ying's face. Exhausted. Hopeless. Empty. That expression in Wei Yings eyes had featured in Lan Wangji's nightmares. Accompanied by a Wei Ying that didn't want to live anymore. Lan Wangji enveloped Wei Ying in a fierce embrace. Terrified that if he didn't hold him tightly he might lose him.