Wangxian Oneshots

Into the Woods and Who Can Tell

Summary:

Everything hurts.

It seems like such a ridiculous statement to Wangji. There’s no way everything can hurt, but that’s certainly what it feels like right now. His limbs are screaming with exhaustion, having been worked to their limit. His breath comes in harsh gasps, his chest heaving with the effort it takes to draw each one. His vision is half-glazed over, swimming, blurry. The air is thick with the scent of blood and dirt and viscera. Everyone is covered in blood- both their own and that of the yaoguai- and no one is standing.

Sizhui and Jingyi are huddled in the roots of a tree, Sizhui cradled in Jingyi’s arms. Shufu is in similar shape to Wangji, breathing hard as he kneels in the dirt. Wei Ying- where is Wei Ying?

This is not an ideal situation.

This was not supposed to happen.

____________________

They were returning from Lanling. It had actually been a very good visit. Wei Ying was slowly making amends with Jiang Wanyin and Jin Rulan, helped along by Sizhui and Jingyi’s fondness for Jin Rulan. The boys, and their friend Ouyang Zizhen, had all gone on a Night Hunt, leaving Wangji and Wei Ying with Jiang Wanyin. Shufu had come too, at the insistence of Jiang Wanyin, who wanted to speak with him about something related to being the uncle of a Sect Leader. Lan Xichen had remained in Cloud Recesses, finally out of seclusion. He’d insisted they all go, stating he could use the time to learn how to rely on himself once again.

Jiang Wanyin and Wei Ying only got into two shouting matches, which Wei Ying assured Wangji was normal for them. The Juniors excelled in their Night Hunt, returned laughing and joking and grinning. Shufu had a very productive talk with Jiang Wanyin, coming back to Wangji with laments that Wei Ying was nothing like him (though Wangji knew shufu liked Wei Ying well enough). Jiang Wanyin was even pleasant toward Wangji, and Wangji was pleasant to him in turn. It was essentially a family gathering, a very nice one.

They all stopped in Ehuzhen on the way home, not too far from Gusu but far enough to stop for the night. Sizhui and Jingyi were still keyed up and excited about their Night Hunt with their friends, and Wei Ying was happy to have been able to spend time with his brother and nephew. Shufu even stopped scolding them, however gently, for talking during dinner and let them all chatter happily to one another. It brought Wangji such joy to see them all like this, like all the pain and suffering he’d gone through in his life was worth it to have Wei Ying again and to see these boys smiling and his uncle looking softly at them all.

He could’ve stayed there in that happy scene in that inn forever.

So, of course, it was interrupted.

A cry was raised through the town, a cry of alarm, and the five of them jumped to their feet, abandoning the end of their meal to run outside. Wei Ying skillfully calmed the one who had raised the alarm, then asked, “What’s happened?”

“There- It was- yaoguai! A whole pack of wolf yaoguai-”

“Wolf yaoguai?” shufu interrupted, “No one’s ever seen wolf yaoguai this far south.”

“Please, Lan-xiansheng, I know what I saw! I saw a whole pack of wolf yaoguai ! They- oh gods!”

The man burst into tears, half-collapsing against Wei Ying. Soothing him some more, he led the man into the inn. Sizhui and Jingyi looked stricken. Shufu looked pensive.

“Shufu?” Wangji asked quietly.

“I believe him, Wangji,” he answered, his voice equally soft, “Even at night, a man wouldn’t mistake a pack of dogs for wolves, and I sincerely doubt even a layman might mistake regular wolves for wolf yaoguai.”