A Means to an End (WangXian)

Resentful Energy

"Wei-xiong!" Nie Huaisang hollered. He quickly made his way to the Jingshi, panicked. Jiang Cheng was hot on his trails, wanting answers.

He knocked on the door. "Wei-xiong! Answer! It's urgent!" he called frantically.

Lan Wangji pulled his door open, his eyes narrowed down at the loud Nie.

Nie Huaisang faltered slightly, but quickly regained his confidence. "Wei-xiong is here, right? I'm sorry, I need to speak with him!" Nie Huaisang declared.

"Huaisang, what's wrong?" Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing appeared at the door.

"It's Lan Qiren, he's on his way here," he cried.

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Why is that concerning?"

"Someone started rumors about you, you idiot!" Jiang Wanyin yelled.

"Rumors? What rumors? It's not about Lan Zhan and I again, right?" His eyebrows furrowed.

Nie Huaisang shook his head rapidly. "No! This is much worse. It's terrible! Someone-"

"Stop. Come inside," Lan Wangji said firmly. He didn't like where this conversation was heading and perhaps listening ears did not need to hear this.

The group all hurried back inside Lan Wangji's home. He suppressed a groan, having anyone in his home is something he always forbade, but in a matter of minutes, somehow his home became invaded.

Though, if it's to help Wei Wuxian, he would sacrifice his peaceful privacy a thousand times over.

"What is going on? Why is Lan Qiren on his way?" Wei Wuxian asked. Everyone was on alert and no one chose to sit down. Instead, they all stood around the table where Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning, Wen Qing, and Lan Wangji all sat at before.

"I-I don't know who said it o-or how they would even know!" Nie Huaisang stuttered out.

"Huaisang, you have to be more specific, stop being so cryptic!" Wei Wuxian cried out. He could already feel his gut tightening. If Nie Huaisang was this shaken up, then surely this was terrible news.

Nie Huaisang fidgeted with the sleeves of his robes, slightly tilting his weight from one foot to the next. "S-Someone told Lan Qiren that you used r-resentful energy at the night hunt," he blurted.

Wei Wuxian's eyes bulged out. His face quickly lost any color than it had, and he took a shuttering step back. "I-I-" he started. "W-Who-" His chest felt constricted, and his hands shook.

"It isn't true, is it?" Jiang Wanyin asked, his face twisting. "Wei Wuxian, I swear to the Gods, if you used-"

"He didn't use it!" Nie Huaisang defended, though he knew it was a lie. "Someone is trying to stir up trouble!"

Jiang Wanyin stared at the Nie peculiarly. The defiant and head-strong look of the Nie made the Jiang pause. He had never seen his friend look so serious.

Wei Wuxian stared at Lan Wangji, fear riddled him. "W-What do we do?" he asked. He felt so vulnerable. He couldn't help but think of the past. How he was ridiculed so much for using demonic cultivation. How no one gave him the chance to prove to them that he wasn't evil, that he never allowed it to corrupt him.

Lan Wangji stared into those petrified silver eyes. He could see the corners well up in tears that threatened to fall out. "Wen Qing." He turned to the woman in red in the room. She looked contemplative. "It was a resentful spirit," he stated.

Wen Qing looked at the Lan, then looked at Wei Wuxian. She noticed how terrified he was. She realized then that there was something much larger going on, and it has everything to do with what she just discovered about Wei Wuxian's core.