Restart | Xue Yang

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Mo Dao Zu Shi and The Untamed do not belong to me. The settings, characters, and plot belong, respectively, to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and the screenwriters of The Untamed. Here, only the plot of this fanfiction and my four OCs, Huang Minghui / Lan Minghui, Lan Biyun, Li Xingsi / Wei Xingsi, and Bai Yilian / Nie Yilian, are my creations. And an important reminder that this ISN'T REAL; please value your lives and do not try to get hit by a car to get this sort of adventure.

Flash forward to Wen indoctrination

Everything was a mess for the Gusu Lan Clan at the moment. Qingheng-jun was on the verge of dying, several of their disciples had been killed, almost everyone who was still alive was injured, their home had been burnt to the ground, and Lan Xichen was missing. Now, they needed to send twenty disciples, including at least one member of the direct family, all the way to Qishan, which was thousands of li away.

Lan Wangji, despite everybody's persuasion, did not rest properly to allow his leg to heal.

"Minghui, Biyun, stay here at the Cloud Recesses," he pleaded. "It's not safe for you..."

"Wangji, look at the state of the cultivation world right now," Lan Minghui sighed. "Do you think we'll be safe anywhere right now with the Qishan Wen Clan's presence looming over all of the cultivation sects and clans?"

"I will be enough for the clan," Lan Wangji insisted fiercely, pulling his hand out of Lan Biyun's.

"Your leg is broken and you can hardly walk comfortably!" Lan Biyun scolded, anguished. "Even if you're so persistent to go, at least let us come with you and help."

Sternly, Lan Wangji shook his head. "In case I don't make it back, the Gusu Lan Clan needs someone else to succeed the position of leader. It is still possible that Xiongzhang might not return."

"Fine, we'll compromise: I'll go with you, and Minghui stays right here to protect our remaining sect members and rebuild the Cloud Recesses," Lan Biyun decided.

"Why me?" Lan Minghui blurted out, horrifying mental images of Lan Biyun lying still with blood pooling around her flashing through her head. "You—"

"Xue Yang is right here," she was reminded by her sister. "I don't think he should go, and who is there that's better to keep him company other than you, Minghui?"

Right! A-Yang... he...

Without waiting for a response from her, Lan Biyun continued brusquely, "So it's settled. Wangji and I will go as two of our twenty sect representatives; you stay here and help rebuild."

Lowing her voice ever so slightly, she reminded Lan Minghui, "One extra pair of hands to help rebuild won't hurt. Make sure to contact Yilian to see if the Unclean Realm can be a place of refuge when the Wens attack Lotus Pier later on."

"...I guess you have a point," Lan Minghui replied, "but please, be careful and look out for yourselves. It's... too early to be losing anyone."

***************

On a scrap sheet of paper stuffed somewhere in her sleeve, Lan Minghui jotted down as many of the events they needed to prevent in order. It was difficult; despite reviewing it almost everyday, it had been about twelve years since she last watched The Untamed or any other adaptation.

How long were Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian stuck in the Xuanwu Cave again? How long was the indoctrination?

She sighed, rubbing her temples which were throbbing with scattered thoughts as she worked on reconstructing the burnt ruins of the Cloud Recesses.

Beside her, Xue Yang spoke to her. "You seem so tired and stressed lately, Jiejie. I'm sure Biyun-shijie, Lan-er-gongzi, and the rest of them will come back alive."

Smiling gratefully at Xue Yang as she accepted the bottle of water he passed to her, Lan Minghui replied, "Sweet of you to be so caring... I'm really lucky to have found you in this world."

Pausing between her sentences, Lan Minghui decided to take a leap of faith. "A-Yang, do you trust me?"

He laughed. "Why would you think that I don't?"

"Alright."

Silent for a minute, Lan Minghui contemplated on how to let him know about the massacre of Lotus Pier. Choosing her words carefully, she continued to speak.

"I know that the next major sect the Qishan Wen Sect will attack is the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. Almost the entire sect will be annihilated, including the current sect leader and sect lady," Lan Minghui informed him. "In the case that we can't stop it from happening, would you help me shelter the survivors?"

Xue Yang nodded almost immediately, squeezing her hand lightly as a way of comfort. "Where you go, I'll follow."

Do you, or do you not like me as more than a friend or sister...?

***************

A few anxiety-tight weeks later, the disciples of the Gusu Lan Clan who had attended the indoctrination returned, though Lan Wangji was not among them. They seemed exhausted, with many of them sporting small injuries, torn robes, and lopsided ribbons, since their swords had been confiscated and had to walk back all the way from Mount Muxi to Gusu.

More than half of the Cloud Recesses had been reconstructed, but there were more parts of the original that were missing, not to mention that it required more fortification. Hopefully, it would be completed within the month.

Lan Biyun was greeted with a tight hug the moment she was spotted by Lan Minghui. Having spent weeks worrying constantly about her sister's wellbeing and safety (especially since Wen Chao chased after any girl who he considered pretty), Lan Biyun was interrogated the moment she stepped back into her sect's realm, and decided to consider it the most overwhelming yet caring "welcome back" she ever got.

Soon afterwards, in the fully-restored Lanshi (which Lan Qiren decided to use as their space to hear about what happened), the clan members who were not at the indoctrination got to hear what happened. For once, Lan Qiren did not scold his disciples to quiet down or remind them of the rules, but listened through with a frown on his face.

Don't be so disgruntled yet, Shufu, Lan Minghui thought to herself with a sigh. There's more to come, and you won't like it. In fact, no one will.

(A/N): I have a severe lack of motivation to write these days... Sometimes, I contemplate giving up on this fanfic, but I've come so far already so I don't want to lol