At thirteen, Wei Ying creates an array he calls 'Time Reversal' which he uses to save Jiang Cheng from drowning. At fifteen, he dies in a tragic accident. Two years after that, Wen Ruohan has overcome the Nie-Lan-Jiang rebellion. The small clans as...
"That's easy, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying announced the morning after their wedding and they had discussed (argued about) the journal, the attack, and the ward's success.
"Easy?"
"Easy. Go hide in a forest and see how fast it takes me to find you in your mourning whites and your shining jindan. There's a reason mortal hunters wear mottled greens and browns in forests. Cultivators can wear whatever they please on night hunts as colors are irrelevant to yaoguai, right? But when hunting perfectly normal animals? You need to blend in with your surroundings. Hide your scent trail and so on. We're going to be hunting Wens who will be hunting us right back; they'll be looking for our scouts. We have a few days to come up with a way to hide." Wei Ying was sitting on the edge of the (their!) bed; now he plopped back to sprawl messily on the covers. "I really do like your bed, Lan Zhan. Come lie with me a bit while I think."
"I'll stay here," he replied from the safety of his desk. If I lie down with you... I don't think I will allow you to think. He forced himself to look at the journal instead of his husband. He'd seen parts of a book where the lovers caressed each other's faces while kissing. He wanted to try that. He wanted to feel Wei Ying sitting in his lap again. Or maybe... his eyes slid, without his consent, to look at Wei Ying's long legs. Maybe I can kneel over his lap? Perhaps this time there could be more light to see with?
What will it feel like to touch his skin? A few times while dressing or bathing, he'd tried running his fingertips across his collarbones and down his chest. He'd even plucked at one of his nipples the way he'd seen it done in a book. It was... pleasant, but it didn't have the same... sense of... urgency? Arousal? He didn't have a name for it.... But it didn't feel anywhere near what he'd felt kissing Wei Ying.
Unsurprisingly, Lan Qiren frowned at the idea of wearing anything but sect colors. "It's disgraceful and disrespectful."
"It's a war," Nie Mingjue growled. "Distaste and disrespect are practically requirements.
"We have a spell that allows us to hide our spiritual energy from creatures that track it. We should be able to integrate that into whatever system we come up with."
Lan Qiren narrowed his eyes and banged on the table. "You can't be suggesting that we ignore all propriety? There are rules of engagement! Rules to war!"
Nie Mingjue loomed over the table in response. "The first Rule is to keep your people alive. We don't win if we're all dead." Turning to Wei Wuxian, he affirmed. "My people will hide their spiritual energy. We don't have clothing suited to hiding in a mountain forest, but if you have dye, we will happily dye our clothing."
Jiang Fengmian nodded his agreement. "My disciples and I request to know that spell, Nie Zongzhu. We will also dye our clothing."
Yu Ziyuan flexed her hand, Zidian sparking. "Wei Wuxian. You are causing so many problems for us. And expecting us to come up with solutions?"
He wanted to strangle her. His fingers itched, ached, to wrap themselves around her slender neck and squeeze until her face was as purple as Zidian's lightning.
Jiang Fengmian shushed his wife. "The boys have identified an issue and properly brought it to us, as adults and sect leaders, to solve. I'm sure if Wei Wuxian already had a talisman or spell designed to hide the disciples in the forest, he would have showed us that, too."
Yu Ziyuan tsked. "Always protecting that boy instead of punishing him. You should beat him for his impertinence."
Lan Xichen smiled. "Jiang Furen... I will remind you that as of yesterday, Wei Gongzi is no longer a member of Yunmeng Jiang. Any and all of Wei Gongzi's future punishments will be decided on by Gusu Lan."
There was more discussion, but both he and Wei Ying were excused.
The next few days were frantic as hundreds of robes, trousers, and boots were dyed in greens and browns.
This time, the three sects' disciples slipped through the wards and blended in with the landscape, their spiritual energy signatures, for both jindan and sword, masked.
This time when Wen Xu arrived at Yunshen Buzhichu's gates, Lan Xichen kept his sword ready to parry any personal attack.
This time Qishan Wen soldiers didn't throw heads at the wards.
This time, Wen Xu's attack on the Gusu Lan disciples standing outside the wards was followed by the disciples hiding in the woods retaliating.
This time, Wen Xu was captured and his jindan sealed. And then he was gagged to prevent anyone from being forced to listen to his plans for revenge and payback.
This time less than a hundred cultivators were killed, a few hundred more were injured, and no civilians or buildings were harmed in any way.
This time, Lan Qiren penned a letter to Wen Ruohan speaking of his son's treachery and how everyone, including the wedding guests who hadn't yet returned home, in Yunshen Buzhichu knew that it had been planned without the sect leader's permission. It was overly polite and placating to the point where he felt mildly ill reading it.
This time, there was no broken leg and Su Minshan didn't betray the sect.
This time, Qishan Wen's letter informing sect leaders they needed to send their heirs for Indoctrination was more politely worded, but still a demand.
This time, a second letter followed the Wen's: one sent to select sect heirs who had, in previous times stood with the Lan-Nie-Jiang alliance, suggesting they might want to carry a lesser sword with them and hide their real one in a qiankun pouch pocket, to be located somewhere other than their sleeves or lapels.
Wei Ying placed his at the back of his neck. "It just makes more sense to put it here, Lan Zhan. Why should I be lifting up my skirts to grab my sword when I can more easily, and more naturally, reach behind my head and grab it?"
This time they would not be stranded and helpless in the cave at Muxi Shan.
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Dear readers.
I struggled with whether or not to kill WX off here. Other than for future plot lines, I decided it simply didn't make sense. It's not in LXC's personality to execute an enemy. Kill in battle, yes. Capture and kill? No. So once WX was in custody, he'd be ransomed or sent home in disgrace. Thank goodness his canon 'peace at any cost' persona works so well with where my story is going.
My NMJ persona was glaring at me so hard, I seriously was wondering if his mustache was going to fly off as a weapon. (ok. JK about that. I made that up right now. But I like the mental image. LOL.)
