Everlasting Myth

Chapter 71⚠️

⚠️sensitive content in this chapter; content includes topics of child abuse, suicide, and other mental health related issues. ⚠️
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Baoshan made a nice lunch for everyone with the help of Wen Qing. Wen Ning was sitting outside with Wangji and Wuxian. Lunch consisted of rice and vegetables with a side of pork ribs and lotus soup for Wuxian. He smiled upon seeing the soup and immediately started eating it.

"I take it you like lotus soup?" Baoshan asked.

Wuxian nodded, "my shijie has an amazing recipe. When I first moved to Lotus Pier, it was the first meal she cooked for me. When I first moved in, I was to room with Jiang Cheng. Due to my fear of dogs, Sect Leader Jiang had to take Jiang Cheng's dogs away and Jiang Cheng hated me for that. He locked me out of the room that first night and threatened to have dogs chase me so I ran off. I ran into the nearby woods and climbed a large tree.

Shijie heard about it and she came to find me. When she found me I was too scared to come down but I fell from the tree and hurt my leg. She carried me back, but on the way, we found Jiang Cheng crying in a hole in the ground with a wound on his forehead. He apologized for scaring me and we made up. Shijie took us back and made us pork ribs and lotus root soup. Afterwards, Jiang Cheng promised to protect me from dogs."

"Have you ever wanted to overcome that fear of yours?" Baoshan asked.

"More than anything," Wuxian said, "I told Jiang Cheng if I could ever overcome my fear of dogs I'd get him his dogs back. He has family in Meishan at the Yu clan where Madam Yu grew up and that is where his dogs relocated to."

"I have a way to help you if you wish to overcome it," Baoshan said, "but it would be for you not for others...A'Ying," I looked up at her, "you don't owe those people anything. They took you in on the goodness of their hearts, but their mistake was misusing your trust and your loyalty. They hurt you and you deserve to be happy. These memories still haunt you and they may always haunt you if you don't find a way to heal."

"I know I don't owe them but there was a time when I thought I did," Wuxian said, "a while back our son, A'Yuan came from the future from a mysterious array. He told us a future that would have happened if I had stayed with the Jiangs."

"What future?" Baoshan asked.

"It consists of Wen Ruohan starting a war and that happened already but the outcome of A'Yuan's story was different from how it happened now. In his story, after Lotus Pier was massacred, I was blamed for it because I had provoked Wen Chao and he came to Lotus Pier for compensation. It was obviously a trick to get them inside and once inside, basically everyone died other than me, Jiang Cheng, and my Shijie.

Jiang Cheng got caught and lost his golden core and I gave mine to him. Afterwards, I was captured and beaten by Wen Chao before he threw me into the burial mounds. It took me three months to learn how to control resentful energy. I crafted a flute and a tool called the Yin Hu Fu. I used it to help win the war but afterwards, people were talking bad things about me because I never used my sword anymore. People wanted my Yin Hu Fu.

Wen Qing and her family were captured by Jin disciples and taken to a labor camp where I later broke them out and kept them hidden and safe. Later I was told that I was invited to my Shijie's son's birth celebration, but I was ambushed on the way. Her husband and his cousin were killed because people thought I had lost control.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning turned themselves in and were burned alive in the end. I went to go retrieve their ashes but when I got there, Jin Guangshan was talking about ambushing the burial mounds to kill me. A war broke out and my shijie got killed by taking a sword for me. I lost hope and I destroyed the Yin Hu Fu before jumping from a nearby cliff. Lan Zhan tried to save me, but it was no use. I fell to my death anyway."

Baoshan was shocked, "I am glad things didn't turn out that way. You have your son on the way and you are alive and safe. You are both immortals and you have long lives ahead of you. But hearing this story, it goes to show how corrupt and greedy people can be when it comes to power. Even though it was not like that now, some things are still similar. The people who were responsible for framing you, they will try again. You got a second chance and you were rewarded with immortality, eternal life, as a result. People who died are now alive because you made other choices," she explained. Wuxian looked at Wangji and Wangji just shook his head, "what is it?"

"Lan Zhan's father died in both timelines," Wuxian said, "are some deaths just fated to happen while others can be avoided? If so, why is that?"

"My guess is that, he died in both just because fate has a timeline for him. If fate is somehow manipulated and someone died and they weren't supposed to, then that is why some things happen for a reason. There was a reason your son came from a future timeline. He helped change certain things but there are people who are still destined to die," Baoshan said.

"And me?" Wuxian asked.

Wangji looked at Wuxian wide eyed and then Baoshan. Baoshan smiled, "normally when in one timeline a life is taken by themselves, it can be avoided in another timeline. You died through jumping off a cliff...but that didn't happen this time, why do you think that is?"

"I didn't use resentful energy and I didn't lose everything," Wuxian answered, "I also didn't have to do anything on my own because I had Lan Zhan and his family with me. I may have almost died but I am still alive today."

"You almost died? When?" Baoshan asked.

"We were helping our son get back to his original timeline by looking for the array that brought him here. We were ambushed by Wen Chao. I was stabbed with a spear. Lan Zhan had his back turned and was about to be struck from behind when I pushed him away and took the sword to instead. I was asleep for a week I think. Lan Zhan was a bit angry with me...the thing is, I felt that if something happened to him, I wouldn't have anything left here..."

"You fear being alone," Baoshan said.

Wuxian being pregnant made him more emotional than usual. Tears welled up in his eyes, "I have lost a lot as it is..." he said.

"Wei Ying," Wangji said holding his hand, "you won't lose me. You technically can't anymore."

Wuxian looked at him, "huh?"

"Immortality," he said. Wuxian blinked, so Wangji spoke again, "we can't die."

Wuxian smiled and a giggle slipped out, "look at you being clever," he said and tickled his finger under Wangji's chin.

Wangji took his hand from under his chin and smiled at him, "just speaking the truth."

"Hey you two, there are still people around," Wen Qing said.

Wuxian giggled, "sorry, can't help it."

"You two are lucky that you are both cute together," Wen Qing said, "otherwise it would be very awkward."

"Are you jealous?" Wuxian asked, "if you want a Lan, Lan Zhan's brother is available."

"Don't even go there," Wen Qing warned, "I know how much you love my needles."

Wuxian moved to sit on Wangji's lap, "no thanks," he said.

Wangji smiled and wrapped his arms around him, "I will protect you," he said.

Wuxian giggled and placed a kiss on his cheek before relaxing on his lap. Wangji didn't mind one bit. He is all too happy to hold Wuxian whenever he wants.