Every night after those he shared a sleeping space with are fast asleep, Lan Zhan slips out of bed and reminds himself of what he must do.
It's all very well, living in this delightful bubble of happiness and joy, of waking up next to Wei Ying every morning and feeling ecstatic. This kind of euphoria is precious and he knows exactly what is at stake to keep it permanent. The bubble is, in the end, just a fragile membrane between him and his family, and certain heartbreak.
In short, Lan Zhan cannot afford to fuck this up.
He rereads his notes, thinking about the timeline of events, the sequences they follow to culminate in such devastating consequences, and the only thing that makes it better is his kill list.
The chain of events must already have been kickstarted, somewhere and somehow, if this particular universe is following the pattern of the original. Several separate situations had to occur for all the instigators to begin their individual pursuits of vengeance, but he must concentrate on the biggest one of all: Wen Ruohan.
When did he begin thinking of the possibility of using Demonic Cultivation? How did it start?
Something must have set him off, right? Otherwise, why would a powerful cultivator like him, with a brilliant golden core, resort to the unorthodox path? The Cultivation world already knows about this second way, already condemns it as being evil and it surely is! By using living, breathing people and turning them into mindless puppets, all to do his bidding...Wen Ruohan must have found a text or a way to begin experimenting, hoping to expand his power.
Therein lies the difference between Wei Ying's eventual path and that of Wen Ruohan.
Wei Ying's new path consisted of using those who were already dead, those who harboured an abundance of Resentment energy, and giving them a way out. By nurturing that hatred, that lost hope into something tangible, all those ghosts could channel their dormant anger into purifying their need for retribution. Revenge is the key, and intent is the hole that fits around it.
Wen Ruohan must die.
But will it be enough to just destroy him? And by killing him, will it swerve fate off its tracks? Will his death deter all the others from making their moves against Wei Ying?
Somehow, Lan Zhan doubts it.
After the Sunshot Campaign had ended, all those who suffered to make it succeed hoped and prayed that they would never, ever have to witness such a terrible destruction of their known world again. And for a while, after Wen Ruohan passed away, everyone believed this to be the case.
But Jin GuangShan, the disgusting power-hungry leech that he is, hadn't been satisfied back then. Unbeknownst to all, he was plotting and playing games to his own gains, without anyone being any wiser.
Wei Ying had said as much once, back in Koi tower. When Jin GuangShan had demanded the Yin Hufu, stating that Wei Ying was too young to uphold such a fearsome responsibility, Wei Ying had questioned his authority in front of all the Sect leaders, replying back that if Jin GuanShan thought Lanling should be responsible for all powerful tools, then what was the difference between him and Wen Ruohan?
Such a daring statement caused ripples of dreaded anxiety among all those present.
Immediately after that, the conniving snake had turned it around to accuse Wei Ying of disrespectful behaviour...but was he wrong? All elders hid behind the respect they thought they were owed because of seniority, but at the time, Lan Zhan knows Jin GuangShan's outrage was because Wei Ying had exposed his very real plans.
So it makes sense that, following Wen Ruohan's death, Jin GuanShan must be next. Otherwise, this whole crazy attempt will have been for nothing.
A noise from the bed snaps his attention away from the papers in front of him, and Lan Zhan looks up towards the two sleeping forms on the bed. Uncle Qiren is asleep behind him, and in the two beds joined together in front, Lan Huan and Wei Ying are asleep. Lan Zhan had to deploy some bodily dexterity to slide out of bed from between them.
