A Means to an End (WangXian)

Process

"Are you saying that when Madam Yu whipped Wei-xiong, she also attached her own resentment towards him?" Nie Huaisang gaped.

"Essentially, yes."

"How is that possible? How can a cultivator create their own resentful energy without being dead first?" Nie Huaisang questioned. Resentful energy is usually the energy of the dead. A living person, let alone a cultivator couldn't produce it all on their own.

"It's rare, but not impossible," Wen Qing stated.

Lan Wangji looked at her. "Explain."

Wen Qing sighed. "Wen Rouhan is capable of it as well. This is why I know of this," she started. "When a person is corrupted in hatred and strong terrible emotions, their spiritual energy can become warped. It doesn't act necessarily like the typical resentful energy. No, it is more like spiritual energy that's been tainted to do harm instead of good."

"I'm confused. It's resentful energy, but also not?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"Yes. It can't possess a person like normal resentful energy could, but it doesn't mean it can't harm you," she said. "Think of it this way. Her spiritual energy gave off such a tint of malice that it festered into a negative force. Her use of Zidian hid the marks of the negative force because it shielded the energy from any prying eyes."

Wei Wuxian was still confused. He knew Madam Yu had used all her force with Zidian on him, but enough so that a secondary energy was produced from the spiritual energy? It seemed implausible, but Wei Wuxian knew Wen Qing wouldn't mention this unless she was fairly certain. "So why can you see it now?"

"When you were reintroduced with resentful energy, her Zidian energy dissipates enough to reveal small details of it. I need to produce a potion that allows me to push past all of Zidian's energy in order to see the full details of this negative energy," she aired. "It is entirely possible that this negative energy is contributing to your nightmares," she stated. "Wei Wuxian, before you experienced the events in the future, how often were you having nightmares?"

Wei Wuxian blinked and thought for a moment. "Maybe not as frequent, but at least once a night. I could handle them better then. They weren't nearly as bad."

"And what were they normally about?" she asked.

"When I lived on the streets as a kid. Sometimes, it was about how she would treat me and the others. Sometimes, it was about watching people I cared about die at night hunts. It was a mixture of things, I think."

Wen Qing pursed her lips in thought.

"Jiejie, do you know something?" Wen Ning asked.

She looked at her brother momentarily before turning back to her basket and taking one last look. "I have an idea, but I need more information before I can confirm. There's some herbs I need to obtain first."

The group understood and did not ask her to continue. They would know soon enough regardless.

"Was it intentional?" Lan Wangji finally spoke.

Wen Qing focused on him. "What?"

"Did Yu Ziyuan know about the negative energy? Did she know she created an attachment?" Lan Wangji's voice shook. He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but he wanted to get confirmation first before he went ballistic.

"It is unlikely she wouldn't. The energy from her Zidian is intentionally masking the negative energy's aura. She wanted to keep it covered up."

Lan Wangji stood abruptly.

"Lan Zhan," Wei Wuxian called in concern. He followed him up.

"You are not going back," Lan Wangji's voice pierced darkly in the air.