@YilingSani: "We found him! We found Wei Wu...

"We found him! We found Wei Wuxian!"

"Bring him in," Wangji commands.

He draws Bichen and turns towards the door, golden eyes dark and tense.

He'll meet his enemy at last. And make him pay.
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#Wangxian enemies to lovers au

cw: heavy angst, violence, happy ending etc.

//more cw/tw on updates//

---2 years ago---

The flames blaze, travelling from building to building in the peaceful and ancient oasis that is known to be the Cloud Recesses. Except, it is not peaceful any longer.

The sound of swords clashing, screams of the wounded and the terrified fill every corner.

And through it all – a lone flute. Reverberating in the air, the melody is both alluring and horrifying at the same time.

The flame-rimmed robes of Qishan Wen flash throughout the Cloud Recesses, pushing back the white-clad cultivators of Gusu Lan.

However, Wens have not come to exterminate, but to teach a lesson. A lesson other clans would also remember.

A flock of crows glide over the sky filled with smoke until it makes a small low circle above the head of a tall and dark silhouette, enshrouded by

evermoving resentment.

The man is dressed entirely in black. Only the red flames around the hem of his sleeves verify that he belongs to the Qishan Wens.

Yiling Laozu. The most terrifyingly beautiful man many have laid their eyes upon.

Strong shoulders, long limbs, narrow waist accented with a black sash. His hair falls far over his back, black as ink and shimmering like a raven's wing.

His face is cruel, but handsome. High cheekbones accented with plush upturned lips that make it seem

like he's constantly wearing a small amused smile.

But it's the eyes that make the skin crawl.

Eyes burning red from under the rich black eyelashes. Redder than the ribbon in his hair, redder than the tassel hanging from the black flute tucked behind his sash.

The man holds two swords. One's blade is thin as ice, emitting a light blue glare. The whole spiritual weapon trembles lightly as if being held a hostage, but it cannot seem to break out of the man's iron-tight grip no matter how much it wants to.

The other sword is darker, with two characters engraved on the white silver blade. Suibian.

The tip of Suibian is pressed against a cultivator's throat.

The white-clad Lan has collapsed on his knees, blood steadily pouring out of the wound in his head and shoulder. Broken

guqin lying next to him.

He had put up a good fight. A worthy opponent to the man now holding him at the edge of the sword.

But in the end, no one could defeat the mighty Yiling Laozu, the founder of the Demonic Cultivation, a master swordsman and Wen Ruohan's right-hand man.

A man so powerful his name was whispered in hushed tones. A man whose wrath was immense and destructive and who was known to spare no one.

And it seems that now he has no intention to spare the Lan in front of him either.

His red glowing eyes meet the frosty gold of the other cultivator and his lips draw into a small cruel smile.

"Your last words, Hanguang-jun."

----------

After a long and tiring journey back from the Nightless city, the Twin Jades of Lan are having tea in Hanshi, when a guard runs in bowing low.

"What is it?" Lan Xichen asks in a calm voice, placing his teacup down on the table.

"We found him! We found Wei Wuxian!"

"Bring him in," Wangji commands before his elder brother can open his mouth.

He draws Bichen and turns towards the door, golden eyes dark and tense.

Lan Wangji has waited for this moment for two long years. He'll meet his enemy at last. And make him pay.

(tbc)

For many years Wei Wuxian, also known as Yiling Laozu, has been a name feared by the whole cultivation world.

Found on the streets of Yiling as a child, he was taken in by the Wens. Wen Ruohan himself had been charmed by the bright smile and the relentless spirit of the boy.

Raised and shaped in the Nightless City, a soft clay in Wen Ruohan's powerful hands, Wei Wuxian proved to be a genius, inventing Demonic Cultivation at the mere age of seventeen. He soon rose through the ranks, leaving Wen Ruohan's sons far behind in the dust.

Rumour was that Ruohan favoured the young man so much, Wei Wuxian could break the centuries old clan traditions and become the next leader.

The Wen clan was ruthless, greedy and powerful. They were not tolerant when it came to criticism or disobedience.

To show their power, Qishan Wens subdued and destroyed if necessary. Whoever tried to stand up against them, would pay a price.

Such was the fate of Lans.

Half of the Cloud Recesses were burnt down, when the Wens led by the mighty Wei Wuxian himself entered the peaceful home.

Lan Wangji had fought him personally, meeting his match. Eventually, Wei Wuxian had gotten the upper hand and nearly killed him.

But at the last moment, he had changed his mind. Instead, he broke Wangji's leg and walked away, leaving behind destruction, ash and blood.

That's when Wei Wuxian suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.

He wasn't there when the clans finally rose against the Wens. When the Sunshot Campaign was burning through their ranks. And he wasn't there when Wen Ruohan collapsed with a sword stabbed right through his chest.

No one knew where the man has gone. Many guessed that perhaps somehow Wei Wuxian had predicted the fall of Wens and now lives somewhere nice and sunny.

It was nothing but a guess. No one knew the truth. Except for the Twin Jades who are about to find the truth themselves.

Lan Wangji grips his sword. It's been two years. And yet he still remembers as if it happened just yesterday.

He remembers the face of the man, his pose and the way he swung his sword. Beautiful, skilled and dangerous.

Finally, Lan Wangji will get his revenge that he has been carrying in his heart for these last couple years.

He'll request a fight to death. He'll cross the sword with the man again and take revenge for his father and for those who died under Wei Wuxian's command.

The door opens with a quiet slide and two men drag something inside, throwing it right at Lan Wangji's feet.

What he finds at his feet is not Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian was a tall man with burning red eyes and flowy silk hair. A man surrounded by a dark aura. A man of power.

Whatever is at his feet, is a small, trembling pile of bones. Shackled in heavy chains, dirty and clothed in rags. All covered in bruises and wounds.

"What's the meaning of this?" Lan Xichen stands up, his eyes darkening with anger. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, Lan-zongzhu," one of the men hurries to explain while bowing low. "We found him like this in a secret room of the Wen dungeons under the Nightless City."

Lan Xichen's eyes narrow as he measures his disciples with them. The men flinch but clearly aren't lying.

The eldest Lan steps forward and squats down next to the trembling bones.

It's hard to tell the number of injuries under the layer of dirt and dried blood. The man's eyes are closed, but he is holding on to the last bits of consciousness.

Barely audible whines are escaping his lips as if he's suffering horrible pain.

Lan Xichen takes one of the man's shackled wrists, bruised raw, in between his fingers and searches for the pulse.

"Brother, step aside," Lan Wangji speaks next to him, gripping Bichen tightly.

Lan Xichen looks up at him. "I know you want your revenge, didi. But are you sure you'll be satisfied with killing a dying man?"

Wangji hesitates. The disappointment in his eyes is evident as the knuckles around Bichen are turning white.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen addresses the men. "Find me a blacksmith immediately. Summon the healer and tell servants to prepare the Gentian House."

"Brother!" Lan Wangji's voice is hot with anger.

"What is it Wangji?" Lan Xichen looks up at him again. "Is it not a good prison enough? Or do you want to throw him in a ditch and just let him die?"

"He's a murderer!"

"He spared your life, Wangji."

Lan Xichen turns his gaze back to the man at his feet.

How could he hate the man who had spared his brother's life? The man who clearly has suffered from the hand of Wen Ruohan like many before. The man who wasn't even a shadow of his former self.

Wei Wuxian's disappearance now made perfect sense.

Yiling Laozu was reduced to nothing, and if he cannot be saved, Lan Xichen at least wants to allow him to die with comfort.

A little bit of mercy.

Wei Wuxian's chains were removed, he was cleaned up and brought to the Gentian House up the hill, away from the main residences of the Cloud Recesses.

The healer spent hours, examining his condition while both Lans stood quietly and watched.

Now free of dirt, Wei Wuxian looked even worse. His face fallen in and ashen pale. His arms covered in old scars and what looked like animal bites.

His whole body was a story of scars and bruises and wounds.

"So?" Lan Xichen asks when the healer finally straightens.

The healer's brow is wrinkled deeply. "His wounds are not fresh just badly healed. Some of his bones have also healed wrong. I'll have to break them again, so they grow back correctly."

"What about his spiritual power?" Lan Xichen asks about something that he had felt earlier on.

"His golden core is damaged," the healer replies. "It's not permanent damage, but his meridians seem to be blocked, cutting off the access to the spiritual power."

"Blocked? Blocked by what?"

"I cannot say. I've never seen anything like this. Whatever it is, it was done on purpose. Perhaps to prevent his body from recovering."

Lan Xichen looks at the pale face.

Wei Wuxian had paid a horrible price. The eldest Lan couldn't help but wonder what the crime was.

"How long until he recovers fully?" Wangji next to him asks, his voice strained and dripping with bitterness.

The healer gives him a very long look that borders between frustration and strained politeness and then sighs.

"Lan-er gonzi, I don't think you understand the severity of his condition. Considering that his spiritual power is disabled, his physical recovery will take months."

"Even then, there's going to be some consequences that will remain for the rest of his life. Secondly, there is no telling in what state he'll wake up. He's clearly been through intense torture."

The healer looks down at the sleeping man.

"And thirdly, with his core damaged and meridians blocked, he may never be able to strengthen his cultivation again."

Lan Wangji's fists tighten. He wants revenge. Revenge for what was done to his father and his disciples. But the man responsible for it is on the brink of death.

The healer's eyes return to Lan Xichen. "I'm afraid that without spiritual energy transfer to help repair his body, he'll die. I'd give five days at the most."

The man stands up and digs through a pile of dirty rags, withdrawing a bunch of crumbled talismans.

"We found these inside his robes," he offers them to Lan Xichen.

"What are they?"

"He seemed to be in a lot less pain and immediately lost consciousness once we removed them, so I believe the talismans were created and used for torture. I'll need time to study them."

"Do what you can," Lan Xichen hands the talismans back and looks at Wei Wuxian.

So much pain. What kind of crime had Wei Wuxian done to deserve such punishment?

"I'll do it," he hears his brother's voice and meets the golden eyes – something dark swirls in them.

"Do what?"

"Transfer spiritual energy," Wangji explains.

Lan Xichen sighs knowing that his brother is not doing it out of a good heart. He hopes that Wei Wuxian will recover so he could make him pay for everything he did two years ago.

"We'll both do it," Xichen finally says and turns to one of the disciples. "Where's Mo Xuanyu?"

"With the boy," the disciple replies.

The boy. Another prisoner of Wen Ruohan. It's been a few days since they found the child and brought him to the Cloud Recesses.

The child was traumatised. He didn't speak. The only noise he made was when he cried and the boy cried a lot.

He slept poorly, tortured by nightmares and ate near to nothing. Mo Xuanyu tried his best to take care of him and make him feel safe but it was difficult.

Lan Xichen trusted Mo Xuanyu. He wasn't a Lan, so he held no personal grudge.

The eldest Lan looks down at Wei Wuxian for one last time.

He'll need care and Mo Xuanyu was the right person for it.

"Tell him to come to the Gentian House as soon as the child is asleep."

(tbc)

Mo Xuanyu sits at Wei Wuxian's bedside, gently wiping the man's face and arms with a wet washcloth.

They said the man was Yiling Laozu.

Of course, Mo Xunayu had heard of Yiling Laozu. As any child, he was scared of the mighty demonic cultivator who eats misbehaving kids.

Once he grew older, he heard of the fights and the slaughter. He heard of the man's power. His name being spoken in hushed tones. He saw people placing protective talismans on their doors just to keep the man's evil at the bay.

Yiling Laozu had a name and it was "destruction".

But what is lying in the bed right in front of him now, is just a simple man. Beaten and broken seemingly so beyond any repair.

Even as the spiritual power transfer was slowly healing Wei Wuxian's body, he hadn't been conscious since the day he was brought to the Cloud Recesses.

Two months.

No movement. No sound. Not even a sigh. Nothing.

Perhaps it's for the best, Mo Xuanyu thinks. The man's been through a lot. One tortured this much could hardly get on with their life anyway.

Mo Xuanyu pauses a little, his warm brown eyes travel over Wei Wuxian's features.

He must have been very handsome at the peak of his power. Even now, looking more dead than alive, he was still beautiful in a way. A very sad and heartbreaking way.

He probably shouldn't, considering the man's hands were drenched in the blood of many innocents, but Mo Xuanyu couldn't help but feel sorry for Wei Wuxian. Anyone would seeing his state.

Except for Lan Wangji.

A cold shiver runs up and down his spine. Every time the younger Jade came over, Mo Xuanyu felt unease and fear.

Not for himself. For Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji's hate was so overwhelming, Mo Xuanyu could feel it from the other side of the room, making the air around him heavy.

Wangji despised Wei Wuxian and the only reason he was helping was to take revenge once the man recovers.

It makes Mo Xuanyu frown.

Wei Wuxian had paid a high price already. Was there really a need for such stubborn revenge?

'Why are you sheltering a monster?' Wangji had once asked his brother as they were arguing outside the door in hushed voices.

Mo Xuanyu had his own share of monsters in his life. And he knew that often the real monsters were those who wore kind and innocent faces.

The opening of the door startles Mo Xuanyu and he immediately stands up. But his shoulders relax seeing Lan Xichen alone walk into the room.

"Xichen-ge," Mo Xuanyu is about to bow but Lan Xichen takes his elbows and stops him with a warm smile.

"There's no need for courtesies when we're in private, a-Yu," the dark eyes travel to the sleeping Wei Wuxian. "How is he?"

Xuanyu watches the clan leader sit down on the edge of the bed. "No change. Still unconscious."