Five days later and Wei Ying had already settled into a comfortable life at the apartment. Wei Ying was surprised at how easily they had been able to obtain the guardianship documents. But Lans were a powerful family, then and now. Realizing that most of his childhood nightmares were actually memories had helped him a lot with his anxiety. He had been getting regular counseling from Lan Zhan now which allowed him to recall bits and pieces of the past life he would remember in dreams. What bits he couldn't remember, Lan Zhan would help.
He had started his breathing exercises and Lan Zhan had prepped the basement for Qi practice. He realized that as Ian Wei he could command Suibian better than in his coreless body. That meant that he again had the possibility of developing a golden core in the future. However, his doctor and guardian had forbidden him from sword practice for two more months. "The art is obsolete now. It's far more important to strengthen your Qi for hand-to-hand combat. If Yin cultivators have resurfaced, they would probably wield guns and tasers rather than heavy swords." Wangji had explained.
Wei Ying pouted. "That's not why I want to practice. You know that." he insisted.
Lan Zhan would nod. "I only use Bichen for training purposes. It must be jarring to reconcile the memories with the reality. We can practice to develop your golden core but it is not necessary for survival." he insisted.
"Did you? I mean in this life, did you develop your golden core?" Wei Ying asked.
"I have a silver core," Lan Zhan stated.
"You are still doing Yin cultivation on the side?" Wei Ying asked.
"I had to suppress the resentment of the Stygian Tiger Seal till you called out to it. I had to use Yin energy. That's the burden of being Hanguangjun," Lan Zhan explained.
"There's nothing written about a silver core in Lan History," Wei Ying said, referring to the book in the Lan library that only a few had accesses to.
"It's rare and the knowledge is burdensome," Lan Zhan said. They were gathered in the roof top terrace where Lan Zhan fed his dozen rabbits. Lan Zhan explained that they were not ordinary rabbits. They were indigenous to Gusu and developed from the rabbits he had once encountered in the Cloud Recesses four thousand years ago.
"Why haven't I heard of it when I researched Suzhou?" Wei Ying questioned.
"They are a well-kept secret," Lan Zhan explained.
"What's their specialty?" Wei Ying asked.
"For multiple generation they have been around Yin Yang cultivators. As a result, they have imbibed an internal energy balance which exudes in their immediate environment." Lan Zhan stated.
"They are lucky. That's it. That's their specialty?" Wei Ying asked.
"Where do you think the superstition of carrying a rabbit's foot rose from? It was a Lan rabbit. Hence the secrecy," Lan Zhan explained.
Lan Zhan's phone rang, causing Wei Ying to pout again. Lan Zhan winked at him, rendering him speechless.
"Yes, I understand the gravity of the situation. Without him the plague cannot be contained, and we need to resurrect him. But the body that possesses his soul is now my lover and husband. I will not allow the organization to put undue pressure on him. I don't want to break him in the process," Lan Zhan objected.
"What's happening? Talk to me." Wei Ying mouthed.
"I am putting the phone on speaker," Lan Zhan announced. He turned to Wei Ying and continued. "Over the phone I have Christopher Landon. He is a psychotherapist and one of the elders of the current Lan Clan," Lan Zhan introduced.
"How many elders are there in the Lan Clan now?" Wei Ying questioned.
"Seventy-five, spread throughout the world." Lan Zhan stated.
"Who is the Sect leader now?" Wei Ying asked.
Lan Zhan didn't answer. Christopher beat him to it from over the phone. "The current Sect elder is Lan Zouchen. It is however an honorary position given that he is the eldest living descendant of Lan Xichen. All decisions are deferred to Hanguangjun," he provided.
"75 elders. How big is the Lan Clan now? I thought that the cultivation world was gone," Wei Ying recalled.
"Open cultivation is gone. Those that cultivate do so in the guise of skill building like swordsmanship, music, archery and so on." Lan Zhan explained.
"Also, cultivators with true Lan blood are still rare. Unlike Lan Zouchen, not many were pleased with an honorary position as family head and broke off. Few of Lan Xichen's descendants survived the world having a Lan name but not Hanguangjun's protection. There are probably a little over twenty cultivators that have true Lan blood." Christopher added.
"What about you? Your last name is Landon.," Wei Ying reminded.
"We belong to the Lan-er family line. Hanguangjun is very specific about it. Our family line is derived from him alone. Some of us do carry traces of Lan blood because of intermingling across generations. However, such instances were often deemed incestuous and discouraged by Hanguangjun. There are several thousand cultivators in the Lan-er family all coming down from Lan Sizhui," Christopher explained.
"Who is Lan Sizhui?"
"It's A'Yuan's cultivation name. I gave it once I started training him," Lan Zhan informed.
"Ok, Christopher. May I call you by your first name?" Ian asked.
"You are the Yiling Patriarch. If you call me Jackie Chan I will be happy," Christopher joked.
"Ok. What were you suggesting to Lan Zhan right now?" Ian inquired.
"Past Life Regression Therapy. It should help you recover the part of your memory that would allow you to become the Yiling Patriarch once more," Christopher suggested.
Ian smiled. "I actually tried it once. When I was in college there was this dude from Europe who was looking for volunteers to demonstrate during his lecture. I wanted to know why I was the way I am. There was a trial session before the show. The therapist suffered from a cardiac arrest during the session. The assistant couldn't wake me up and we both ended up sharing the same hospital room. I don't remember what happened during the session. My mom scolded me saying that it's all a scam," Ian explained.
"I can guess what happened. He regressed you to the time after the Nightless City Massacre. You infected him with the residual Yin energy from your memories and as a result he suffered a qi deviation which was interpreted by modern doctors as a heart attack," Lan Zhan explained.
"Why didn't I remember anything?" Wei Ying asked.
"You won't remember it all. You are supposed to remember only key elements." Christopher pointed out.
"I got my Suibian tattoo that week." Ian recalled.
"Let me help you. It would be my honour. I am a cultivator, have been so for the last fifty years of my life. I am quite unlikely to undergo a qi deviation especially in Hanguanjun's presence." Christopher insisted.
Wei Ying looked at Lan Zhan and nodded. "Make preparations. We shall arrive by three nights," Lan Zhan replied.
"Why three nights?" Wei Ying asked.
"If the Yiling Patriarch is about to come back I prefer to meet Ian Wei's parents before that happens," Lan Zhan stated.
"My parents?" Ian squeaked.
Lan Zhan nodded. "We are going to New York. Your home is in the very next state. We'll visit the Wei's in Bridgeport before going to the Lan Institute, NY."
YOU ARE READING
Hanguangjun- The Waiting
Fanfiction[SLOW UPDATE] A Wangxian fan fiction inspired by the books, the TV series and other fanfictions. Modern day Suzhou, formerly Gusu Zhou boasts of many things. But amidst the ruins of an abandoned hill it hides a secret-an ancient power waiting to be...
