Dust & Gold

27

~*Wei Wuxian's POV*~

Lan Zhan took me to Cloud Recesses. I was afraid. I wasn't afraid of the test itself, I was afraid of the results. If I was cursed, then comes the questions, who did it and why? Lan Zhan stood beside me as we were at the courtyard. The Mingshi was just ahead, and everything was set up for me. He let me take my time just to collect myself enough to actually go and get this done with.

"Lan Zhan, what if I was actually cursed?" I asked, "if I was, chances are, it won't be easy to break."

"Wei Ying, it will be alright," he told me and pulled me into a hug, "curse or not, we will find a way to help you."

"How long does this test take?" I asked.

"A few minutes," Lan Zhan answered, "we can go in when you are ready."

I let out a sigh before pulling out of the hug and nodded, "let's get this over with," I told him.

He nodded and took my hand before leading me inside. Zewu Jun and Master Lan were already here. There was a table set up in the middle of the room with a blanket on it. I was to take some sort of concoction before lying down. It was to make me sleep. I won't know what was to happen through the test.

***

~*Lan Wangji POV*~

Wei Ying laid down on the table after drinking the anesthetic. It didn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. Once asleep, my brother, uncle, and I stood around him. There was an array drawn on the floor underneath the table Wei Ying laid on. Once activated, it will take a few minutes to scan his body. Once the scan is over, the array will glow a color. Blue if he is perfectly fine, or red if he is cursed. If he is cursed, we then had talismans set up. All we needed was a couple drops of his blood. It would take another couple minutes for it to tell us what he is cursed with specifically. That way, we would be able to research it and find a way to break it.

Though the process is a little long, it's effective. Our arrays and talismans are never wrong. Even the most difficult and ancient of curses and spells can be found.

The Mingshi is filled with spiritual energy. With just a small amount from one of us to active it, the rest of the work can be done by the Mingshi. The three of us stood around Wei Ying in a protective position. We were all prepared in case the array somehow faltered. It's rare but sometimes it can be drawn wrong and the results would be inconclusive.

After a few minutes, the array glowed a bright red. The brighter the glow the harsher the curse. It automatically became worrisome for me as this was something that Wei Ying already feared. While he was still unconscious, we took a small blood sample for the talisman to determine what curse he had. While that was working, I used that time to gently help wake Wei Ying up.

***

~*Wei Wuxian POV*~

As I was waking up, my entire body felt heavy. It was like my mind was in a slight panic, my eyes so badly wanted to open but they felt weighted, even as if someone was holding my eyes closed. My head shook back and forth, trying to help shake this feeling away.

"It's alright," I heard Lan Zhan say gently, "take your time. Don't fight it too much. Let it wear off on its own," I could feel him holding my hand. I even took notice that he had lifted me slightly and had me resting in his arms.

"Lan Zhan," I slurred.

"Shh, I am here," he says, "you do not need to worry. Just focus on calming yourself. The effects will wear off soon."

All I could do was say, "Mnn," in response.

I ended up dozing off a couple times, each time had me dreaming a little bit. One dream was of two silhouettes, one male and one female, one dressed in purple robes, and the other in black and white robes. I couldn't get a good look at their faces but I knew who they were; they were my parents. Even though I have almost long forgotten what their faces looked like, I still have a vague memory of their robes.

Another dream was of Lan Zhan. He was in a fierce fighting pose. His robes were elegant and white, his forehead ribbon perfectly set on his head, and his long sword, Bichen, in hand. Such a magnificent sword too. That one sword has actually helped protect me in several occasions. The owner to that sword, was my husband. Lan Zhan would never allow anyone or anything else harm me now that he was officially mine.

Being half awake now, I could hear Lan Zhan talking to his brother and uncle, "this talisman is taking a long time to find which one it is. That means it's an ancient curse," Master Lan said.

"If that is the case, we can start looking at ancient curses with our forbidden chamber. Surely there is something that has his symptoms written down," Lan Xichen said.

"Feels not physical pain," Lan Zhan said, "unless it is mine."

"What was it that had him really question his condition?" Lan Xichen asked.

"He can feel my touch," Lan Zhan answered. He wanted it to sound as innocent as possible, but how can he just say, "he can feel it when I bite him and fuck him hard enough to feel the burn from it." As much as he probably wants to get more information out, it would not be appropriate to share the little details as those are private.

I heard Lan Xichen, "Mnn, I see. When you two bonded, it must have affected him somehow."

"Which is why he got confused," Lan Zhan said, "since the talisman is taking a long time, it means this curse is no ordinary curse."

So that was it. I was actually cursed. They were just now trying to figure out what the curse is. Once they can determine what it is specifically, they can determine how to break it. Though, most curses are only broken if the either the caster removed it or the caster dies. Finding a remedy to break it otherwise is a lot more difficult to accomplish.

"When he is awake enough, you two can look within the forbidden chamber at the Library Pavilion," Master Lan said.

"Thank you, Shufu," Lan Zhan replied.