Bring him home

If I could tell him

" A-Ying," Jiang Yanli says. Her voice is disbelieving. Wei Ying is hiding his lithe frame behind Lan Zhan's. 

Jiang Cheng has stopped functioning entirely. His mouth moving open and closed like a fish out of water.

Jiang Yanli had tears in her eyes and a disheveled face. 

Wei Ying's jaw clenched at the sight of his sister. He knew she was alive, but it hadn't felt real until now. Now he knew she had not died. She stood in front of him, unharmed and whole.

" Lan Zhan," Wei Ying said, gripping the man's forearm tightly.

" Your alive," Jiang Cheng finally says. 

A nod.

" Your not dead," he says. Wei Ying has to fight the urge not to roll his eyes at his brother.

Another nod.

" How," Jiang Cheng asks. His tone makes Wei Ying feel like a child about to be scolded. 

" Because it is his destiny," a new voice says. 

Baoshan Sanren stood on a rock. Her robes stood in stark contrast to the world around her. The black robes were catching the wind and floating, giving her an almost ethereal look. 

" Grandma," Wei Ying breathed out in relief. Jiang Cheng noticed. 

" What do you mean," Yanli asked in her sugary-sweet voice.

" He was meant to rise again someday. So here he is," is all she says—her tone final. Wei Ying had been trying to get her to elaborate when she had said that the first time. But to no avail. 

" So he died," Jiang Cheng said. Sounding stupid even to himself. This time Wei Ying couldn't help rolling his eyes at him.

" He rested," Baoshan Sanren said matter of factly. She had told Wei Ying that before and once again did not elaborate. 

" A-Ying," Yanli said, and then she ran into Wei Ying's surprised arms. Lan Zhan had to catch him, so the pair did not go tumbling down the hill.

" Your not mad," he whispered. Yanli pulled her head out of Wei Ying's chest, and she looked confused.

"Mad at you," she questioned. He nods. " Of course not, I know it is not your fault," at that Wei Ying starts to cry. 

Yanli gently pats his head. Jiang Cheng almost joins but then decides not to. He stands back and watches his sworn brother cry. He watches Lan Wangji look pained.

" I am sorry," Jiang Cheng says, looking at Lan Zhan, who seems confused so much that Wei Ying laughs.

" You are right. I should not bring him up to you," Lan Zhan looks unimpressed by this. Well, at least Jiang Cheng thinks he seems unimpressed. He had a hard time telling.

He turned to Baoshan Sanren. If you looked at her long enough, he could see the resemblance between the two. There was something about her. When he had met her to get his golden core back, her voice had not been so gravely. She sounded much younger when she had fixed his golden core. 

He did not give much thought to it after that.  

But soon he would realize why.

" Jiang Cheng," Wei Ying said. Jiang Cheng felt his heartbreak all over again. The tears started falling again.

How was he supposed to face the brother he killed.

"Please don't be mad," Wei Ying said. Lan Zhan gave Jiang Cheng a scary look. 

A look that said, ' if you hurt him, I will kill you.' 

"Dad, father," a new voice called. 

Jiang Yanli watched as a young boy dropped and clung to Wei Ying and Haungan-Jun's thighs.

" Are you okay A-Yuan," Wei Ying asked worry coating his tone. He was no longer a crying, blubbering mess. Instead, he was a parent. Jiang Cheng looked surprised. Yanli had no idea he had a kid and such an old one. This child had to have been almost the same age as her A-Ling.

" Jingyi got me in trouble," the boy said, looking up at the two. 

Jiang Cheng watched in amazement as THE Haungan-Jun's face softened.

" Lan Sizhui," Wei Ying said, tone playful. " Did you break one of the many rules of the Gusu Lan sect," he asked. The boy nodded his head.

" Sizhui, get back here," a new voice yelled. 

" No yelling," Lan Zhan said, almost robotically. 

" Sorry, Haungan-Jun," the new boy said, bowing to both Haungan-Jun and Wei Ying.

"You got my A-Yaun into trouble," Wei Ying says. 

" We were passing notes in class," Jingyi said. 

" Jingyi, ah, such innocence," Wei Ying says with a laugh. Lan Zhan looked incredulously at his soon to be husband.

" Wei Wuxian," Lan Zhan said. 

" Lan Er Gege," Wei Ying said with a pout. Jingyi and Sizhui watched in amazement as Haungan-Jun waved his hand in dismissal. The two walked off together, never even noticing their small audience. 

Baoshan Sanren had left at some point, leaving the four alone.

" You have a kid," Jiang Cheng stated.

Wei Ying just nods his head.

" We should talk about this at the jingshi," Lan Zhan said, pulling Wei Ying closer to his side.

" Agreed," Wei Ying said, and he began pulling Lan Zhan and Yanli along with him. 

Jiang Cheng fallowed.

Knowing that soon he would have to apologize.

I apologize for killing someone he loved.

For killing his brother.