BROKEN LOVE THREAD (The Untamed)

Chapter 3: A new hope

Lan Wangji is not a man of many words. He usually only speaks when needed to, and he will try to make his sentence as short as possible. Socializing is hard for him. Mainly because he has always been alone since he was a kid.

The Lan main family may seem like a perfect family. They have always conducted themselves with such grace and elegance that they have been envied by others outside of the family. Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji's reputation as The Twin Jade of Gusu has been quite a hot discussion among cultivators from other sects.

Little does people know, the perfect Lan family actually had a dark history surrounding them. Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen grew up without a mother and a father figure. Even though both of them were present at some point in their life, they weren't actually raised by them.

His father has always lived in seclusion, and he never comes out since his mother passed away. The one and only time he saw him was when Wen Sect attacked Cloud Recesses, and that was only for a short moment before he was killed by Wen Chao.

Him and Lan Xichen have always been independence. Xichen has been groomed to be a leader since the early age under the guidance of their uncle, Lan Qiren, while he himself has always been the one to support Xichen from the back. This way of growing up had led him to a very busy life to the point that he had no time to engage with his peers and make friends. To top it off, his lack of social skills and the constant stoic expression on his face have caused people to be wary of him. Thus, they chose to avoid any kind of interaction with him. That has always been the way of his life until..

Wei Ying

Lan Wangji still remembers the first time he met Wei Ying at the entrance of Cloud Recesses. He was surprised when Wei Ying could distinguish between a corpse and someone who lost his soul. Not a lot of people are attentive to minor details, but Wei Ying made quite an impression to him during that time. At first, he thought Wei Ying was just a very naughty kid who put his study aside and just knew how to play and waste time but the more he knows Wei Ying, the more he try to understand him, the more he is impressed on the way Wei Ying's brain works.

Wei Ying was extremely smart. His way of thinking was very different compared to others. Those who didn't understand, or too egoistic to sit back and think deeply about Wei Ying's way of doing things, will think that Wei Ying is a snobbish kid who is arrogant and refuse to listen to advices. That was why Wei Ying didn't fit well with the rest of the cultivation world. The cultivation world is very orthodox. They thought their way were always right, and if someone else tried to change that or is doing things differently, then that person would be deemed as wrong and wicked.

That was why Wei Ying was attacked sixteen years ago. Wei Ying's way of solving things was way different. He had the gut to use something evil for something good. So, from the surface, it seems like Wei Ying had gone to the evil path and stray away from the cultivation path, but that was not the case. Even Lan Wangji himself thought that way at first until that time Wei Ying insisted on saving the side family of Wen who were innocent. It was easy to ignore those innocent lives just to please the rest of the sects, but Wei Ying was not that kind of people. He had the guts to try and save people. That is what cultivators' world should be. That was what their martial arts should be used for.

However, it was too late when Lan Wangji realised that. The moment who understood it, Wei Ying already gave up on his life. That was Lan Wangji's biggest regret. He still remembers how he tried to convince Wei Ying that things would be okay when they were on top of the roof at the Nightless City. Wei Ying no longer trust his word. When Jiang Yanli was murdered, Wei Ying's mind broke down because the one and only person that Wei Ying knew trusted him was gone.

The look that Wei Ying gave him during that night when they were at the edge of the mountain still haunted  Lan Wangji to this day. It was the look of lost and hopelessness. That look was the indication that Wei Ying had given up. For someone as cheerful as Wei Ying, who found the good in every situation no matter whether it was bad or good to give that kind of reaction, meant that the situation itself was already too severe. When Wei Ying died, a huge chunk of Lan Wangji's life died together with him. That was the time he realized how much love he has for Wei Ying. That was also the time he realized that Wei Ying is the soulmate he has been searching for. Wei Ying is the rightful owner of his heart and the only person that he will allow the right to touch his sacred headband. He really  regretted what happened at that time. He regrets not coming to Wei Ying earlier. Unfortunately, he has no ability to reverse the time. If only he can go back in time and fix everything, he will do anything to make sure he is able to be at Wei Ying's side.

He refused to accept the fact that Wei Ying is gone. His hopes went up when he heard of Jiang Wanyin's report that Wei Wuxian's body wasn't there at the foot of the mountain. For years, he had been searching for the trace of his love. Every time he heard of someone using Yilling Patriach's magic, he would immediately go and investigate it with the hope that he would find any clue that would direct him to Wei Ying. Even though he was met with disappointment every single time, he continued his journey. He doesn't care how many years it will take for him to find Wei Ying. He is willing to do it.

That night at Mo's manor brought his hope up. Based on the report he received from the juniors, it seems like the person they met was Wei Ying. The height, body size, clothes, and ribbon seem to match Wei Wuxian. Even the talisman he found on Mo's family body is the one that Wei Ying used to make. Lan Wangji is very familiar with Wei Ying's handwriting. He will never forget Wei Ying's handwriting, not after so many times checking his transciption of Gusu Lan's rules, which was Wei Ying's punishment from Lan Qiren for breaking the rules

But, if that person really is Wei Ying, why did he run away? Is Wei Ying afraid of meeting him? Is he afraid that Lan Wangji will hurt him? Does he think that Lan Wangji will hand him over to the sects leaders if he found out Wei Ying is still alive?

Those thoughts made his stomach churn. If that's what Wei Ying is thinking, that means Lan Wangji has failed him greatly. That means in Wei Ying's eyes, he is just the same as the rest of them. That also means that Lan Wangji is not someone who Wei Ying can trust. Lan Wangji really wants to meet Wei Ying. He wants to hug him and shield him from the rest of the world. He doesn't care what others will think of him as long as Wei Ying is safe and sound.

The soft knocks on his bedroom door brought him back to reality. It was his son, Sizhui, who was knocking. He made sure that he looked fine before inviting him in. He doesn't want Sizhui to see him in distress. He doesn't want Sizhui to be worried about him.

"A-Die.. we received a report that some fierce corpses have been disturbing the villagers. Some of the villagers have also gone missing. No one is able to find their traces, and people are starting to panic. No one dares to even go out after sunset. They are requesting us to help them resolve these cases."

Lan Wangji frowned. That's odd. The increase of fierce corpses and the missing people sounds exactly like what happened before they found out that Wen Rouhan is using Yin metal to gain power. Why is this happening again?

"Tell them we agreed to investigate these cases. You will go with me along with Jingyi. Bring some other juniors as well. "

"Okay, A-Die. When are we going to go down the mountain?"

"Tomorrow"

With that said, Lan Sizhui bowed before going out to inform the others about this.