so I watched shrek forever after.
and all I'm going to say is: wwx is *exactly* the type of person who would give up the day he's born in order to save his loved ones.
wwx makes the deal with jyl's still-warm body still lying in his arms: his soul, his life, his very existence in exchange for the the wellbeing and happiness of his loved ones. he no longer cares what becomes of him—so long as those he cares about are safe and alive.
because the universe is merciful, it accepts the deal, and wwx's existence is wiped from reality.
because the universe is cruel, wwx continues to live.
nobody knows who he is, or what his name is, or where he is from. and there was never a 'wei wuxian' or 'yiling patriarch'.
because the universe is cruel, wwx continues to live.
nobody knows who he is, or what his name is, or where he is from. and there was never a 'wei wuxian' or 'yiling patriarch'.
if this had happened a few years ago, wwx would be horrified at how every trace of him has been erased from the world.
wwx as he is now is just... tired.
so tired.
he would have preferred death, but the universe gave him this—so this is what he will have to work with.
wwx as he is now is just... tired.
so tired.
he would have preferred death, but the universe gave him this—so this is what he will have to work with.
piece by piece, bit by bit, he picks himself back up. he no longer has a golden core, so cultivator work is out of the question when it comes to earning money—and he doesn't want to draw attention with demonic cultivation again.
he gets by with portraits he sketches on the spot.
he gets by with portraits he sketches on the spot.
he manages to snag a deal on a small dilapidated farmhouse by a small river. piece by piece, bit by bit, he rebuilds it with his own hands and coaxes life out of the soil and river.
sometimes he hears news when he goes to sell his produce to a restaurant.
sometimes he hears news when he goes to sell his produce to a restaurant.
sect leader jin has passed. his son jzx takes over the sect. jzx's wife jyl is expecting their second child. sect leader jiang has stepped down to allow his son to take over. the gusu lan sect welcomes its largest class of disciples yet.
wwx hears all and yet none of it.
wwx hears all and yet none of it.
he cannot go see them. he's nothing more than a simple, humble farmer now. the cultivation world is well out of his reach. they don't even know him; to them, he never existed. this is for the best.
that doesn't stop wwx from drinking during particularly difficult nights.
that doesn't stop wwx from drinking during particularly difficult nights.
he's not himself during those nights. sometimes he cries himself to sleep, his robes reeking of cheap alcohol. sometimes he rages at the sky, cursing the heavens for his fate.
sometimes, his hand moves without his permission, and he wakes the next morning to a new drawing.
sometimes, his hand moves without his permission, and he wakes the next morning to a new drawing.
those mornings are the worst. not only does wwx have to deal with a hangover headache, but he has to look at what he drew. if he's lucky, it's incomprehensible.
if he's not, it's a perfect copy of something from his memories. so far, he has sketches of jyl, jc, wq, wn, and more.
if he's not, it's a perfect copy of something from his memories. so far, he has sketches of jyl, jc, wq, wn, and more.
one morning, he wakes up with a crumpled, ink-smeared portrait of lwj lodged under his pillow.
it's a terrible sketch. his previous night's self hadn't bothered to let the ink dry before balling it up. but there's a level of care put in the sketch that is impossible to deny.
it's a terrible sketch. his previous night's self hadn't bothered to let the ink dry before balling it up. but there's a level of care put in the sketch that is impossible to deny.
wwx scoffs at the sketch and tosses it at his cold fireplace to be used as tinder for that night's fire.
but after some breakfast and water, wwx can't help picking it back up and smoothing it out. without thinking, he redraws it, this time with the care it deserves.
but after some breakfast and water, wwx can't help picking it back up and smoothing it out. without thinking, he redraws it, this time with the care it deserves.
it's not a perfect sketch of lwj, but it is similar enough to make wwx's chest ache at the sight of it.
beautiful, cold, law-abiding, boring lwj. how content he must be now, having never known the likes of wwx.
it is very likely that wwx will never see him again.
beautiful, cold, law-abiding, boring lwj. how content he must be now, having never known the likes of wwx.
it is very likely that wwx will never see him again.
it's for the best, wwx tells himself. lwj has never looked at him with anything but disdain, admonishment, and hatred, but complete and utter apathy would be far worse. wwx doesn't know if he would be able to handle those golden eyes passing over him indifferently.
wwx will never see him again.
so.
it wouldn't hurt to keep this one sketch of lwj to look at for the oncoming decades. it will be a good way for an aging wwx to remember his… friend?
wwx frowns. they were never friends, but also not rivals. nor were they enemies, really.
so.
it wouldn't hurt to keep this one sketch of lwj to look at for the oncoming decades. it will be a good way for an aging wwx to remember his… friend?
wwx frowns. they were never friends, but also not rivals. nor were they enemies, really.
they were… it is difficult for him to put words to it. they'd always felt on the verge of something—like all it would take was one word or action to mark them one label or another.
an almost-friend, wwx decides, and an almost-enemy. a former acquaintance he respects and misses.
an almost-friend, wwx decides, and an almost-enemy. a former acquaintance he respects and misses.
weeks, months, years go by. wwx's wide range of skills ensures that he always has a way of earning money. he soon has enough to hire a farmhand to watch his fields whenever he travels.
caiyi town is beautiful, although it is still recovering from the waterborne abyss incident.
caiyi town is beautiful, although it is still recovering from the waterborne abyss incident.
the people of caiyi are used to cultivators flying overhead and do not pay any mind to the passing shadows on the ground. wwx, however, can't help looking up.
the lan cultivators are too far upfor him to see clearly, but he thinks one of them has a guqin strapped to their back.
the lan cultivators are too far upfor him to see clearly, but he thinks one of them has a guqin strapped to their back.
he watches the group until they are nothing but pale specks in the sky.
ah, he's being silly. the lan sect is known for their music cultivation; it could've been anyone who happens to have a guqin.
still, wwx raises his winecup and silently wishes lwj a long and happy life.
ah, he's being silly. the lan sect is known for their music cultivation; it could've been anyone who happens to have a guqin.
still, wwx raises his winecup and silently wishes lwj a long and happy life.
without a golden core to preserve his youth and extend his life, it will only be a handful of decades before wwx's time in this world is done. he fully intends to spend those decades out of trouble. anonymous. forgettable.
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