Thread by @GuardianofJupi1

#xicheng

When the last echo of his scream fades away, LXC can barely see through the tears. The last sight of his husband falling down the cliff - to his death, because Sandu lays unsheathed on the ground - burns into LXC's memories.

The assassin was sent by one of the minor sects, because the union between YMJ and GSL sect leaders creates power unbalance within the cultivation world. The minor sects feel threatened due to Sandu Shengshou's reputation.

Even if the reputation is mostly undeserved.

In his utmost rage, LXC unleashed his power - Shuoyue flies like lightning into the assassin's heart. Then, he stumbles clumsily as he runs towards the edge of the cliff, with mutter of litany drops from his lips.

"Wanyin... My Wanyin, my love... Please, please, please."

He sounds like a madman, but why wouldn't anybody be, if half of their soul and heart were ripped from them. He drops to his knees, his heart stops when he sees him.

There, at the foot of the cliff, JWY lies in crooked way, motionless.

Lifeless.

And LXC lost it.

The roaring of blood rushing in his ears is too loud. But still he can hear LWJ's voice shouting after him. LWJ is running towards him, followed by WWX.

"Brother! Don't!" LWJ cries in panic.

Don't what? LXC thought before he realises that he has gotten on his feet, precariously

-retreating to the cliff's edge... Oh... Even his body subconsciously trying to follow his husband even to the oblivion.

"Brother..." LWJ halts, hesitating. WWX''s face is white.

"JWY is dead-" LXC reports listlessly. He is numb, frozen. "I couldn't get to him."

"I wasn't fast enough, and he's gone." LXC takes another step backwards.

"Stop it! Zewu-Jun, STOP!" WWX cries.

"We were husbands for only three days- I've waited years to be his husband and now he's gone..." LXC drops Shuoyue with a clang.

The last thing he hears is LWJ's anguish voice before the world goes dark.

---

LXC wakes up with heart pounding, sweat clings on his forehead. His first instinct is to grab his husband beside him. A gasp of grief escapes his lips with he cannot find him.

He quickly got onto his feet, panic and anxiety flow through his body. Without caring about his appearance, he runs out of his room to look for JWY.

It had got to be a dream. JWY's death, his own inability to step away from the ledge... It all has got to be a dream.

"Wanyin..."

If he could just see his husband, whole and alive, then, perhaps he can calm his heart down because right now, it feels like it's running out of his ribcages.

He sees one of disciples - Lan Liwei - walking down the hallway. He runs towards him and grab his arm.

"Zewu-Jun!"

Surprise is on Lan Liwei's face but LXC is desperate to find his husband. "Where's Jiang Wanyin?"

"Who?" the man frowns.

LXC opens his mouth to serve the man a well-deserved angry words, when he looks properly at Lan Liwei. Is it him or does the man looks.... younger?

"Zewu-Jun, are you alright? Why do look you harried... and your clothes are..." Lan Liwei gestures awkwardly. "Why aren't you readied yet? Today is the greeting ceremony from students from other sects."

"what...?" LXC breathed. GSL hasn't been receiving students since he went-

-into seclusion. JWY's been really supportive of him opening up GSL to accept students from other sects into the future.

Something is not right. Everything looks wrong.

"What date is today?" LXC asks tentatively.

The answer given by the disciple turns LXC's world upside down.

He'd been thrown twenty years back in time. How's that possible? When he gets back to his own room, LXC sits down in daze, looking at his own face in the mirror in the table.

A cultivator ages slowly that twenty years doesn't really appear on one's face. But LXC recognises the-

-old headpiece on his vanity table and the way his forehead ribbon still pristine.

When he got married with JWY, he had given the ribbon to him by tying it around his husband's wrist when they did the second bow to each other.

JWY was so surprise at the extra ritual and he had-

-impulsively taken out his own silver bell and looped it around his own wrist in return.

His Wanyin has never been content of receiving without giving something in return.

LXC buries his face in his palm... Anguish sob escapes his mouth. He lost him. He lost JWY.

He would never again see that mystical violet eyes twinkle mischievously, or those generous lips stretch into a wide smile when LXC pleases him or those callous hands running along his back as LXC rocks them both to mindless pleasure or those strong thighs hold onto him.

LXC wallows in his grief before his mind recalls what Lan Liwei told him. He is supposed to receive students from other sects and if today is twenty years ago... THEN?!

Is this the day, when he first meet Wanyin?

Hope blooms so painfully in his heart.

---

Time moves so slowly as LXC eagerly waits for the students to fill into the room. His heart is pounding so hard that surely his uncle can hear it. For each student that walks in that is not Jiang Wanyin, he feels his heart shrivel gradually in disappointment.

Still, he waited.

And then there he is. Looking so young, with his eyes bright in untainted innocence. JWY still has his family, still hasn't lost anyone he loves and still thinks the future is his to control. War hasn't tainted him, thus, his scowls aren't as deep.

So different than his husband-

-and yet, LXC feels the same, deep, earth-shattering love for him. In every lifetimes, in every timelines, LXC loves it all.

LXC knows what's happening next. JWY came forward to present the gift just to have Wen Chao to barge in.

This time, LXC doesn't even wait for the whole-

-room to explode. This time, he wants to listen to JWY's greeting to GSL and receive YMJ gift. This time, he wants to look into those deep eyes and convey his appreciation.

So, when Wen Chao pushes the door open with an insolent bang, LXC raises a talisman ward and throws it to-

-door, pushing the Wen delegate out of the room and locking them outside.

The room falls into absolute silent. He can see LWJ's eyes widens and LQR's mouth drops open in shock. The rest of the students are stupified and even WWX seems to be out of words.

Zewu-Jun, whose name-

-represents virtue and graciousness, just kicks the Wens without sparing any words.

All of that matters not to him. All that's important is the violet-eyed youth in front of him, who is equally stunned.

With a gentle smile, LXC turns his full attention to JWY.

"Please continue, young master Jiang, I'm very interested in your greeting."

JWY flusters so adorably that he stutters in greeting. When the gift is presented, LXC can't resist to caress slightly JWY's fingers. Oh.. how he misses his husband.

When all is said and done, LXC-

-sits in his own room, thinking of his options.

Should he follow the timeline of events as he knows it? Should he do something about Qishen Wen? About Meng Yao?
About the GSL fire?

But... LXC is tired. Going through the whole motion again is soul-tiring. If he was honest-

-to himself, all LXC wanted in this life and all the lives to come (if he was lucky enough), is Jiang Wanyin.

He doesn't want to wait fifteen years of wars, heartache and betrayal just for him to discover JWY. He doesn't want JWY to go through all the trials in the-

-coming years, alone and unloved.

Because how could he let JWY feel he is unloved and unwanted when all LXC wants - needs and breathes - is Jiang Wanyin.

LXC doesn't know how he got here or why he was given the second chance. But, he doesn't want to waste twenty years to-

-tie white ribbon around JWY's wrist.

Coming finally to a decision, LXC took a deep breath. This time, he would pursue JWY. He would not let himself to be blind from JWY.

This time, no 4000 rules of GSL, no war with Qishen Wen, no Meng Yao, no Venerated Triad, or any pointless-

-siege or amulets is going to make him stray from JWY.

If he was going to go through all of that all over again, he'd be damned if he's not going to be by JWY's side the whole time

The world could burn for all he care.

Jiang Wanyin will not be one of them. Not as long as LXC

-breathes beside him.

LXC has had the taste of losing JWY once. This time, he will hold on to JWY better.

---

"Wei Ying..." LWJ said softly. Tears are streaming down his cheeks as he keeps looking at the empty cliff in front of him. "What did you do?"

WWX's hand is still-

-dripping blood from the hasty cut he made on the palm. Pale face, heavy breaths and tear-streak along the cheeks, he answers.

"Zewu-Jun and Jiang Cheng waited years to be together. They've been through so much. I cannot allow them to just have happiness for three days."

"Life has been so harsh to them. I couldn't- I wouldn't allow it. So..."

WWX raised his bleeding hand to point at the abrupt array on paper talisman that he threw at the last moment when LXC let himself fall down the cliff.

"So, I use my blood and LXC's soul to transmigrate-

"-him back to the time when he first met his soulmate. Zewu-Jun is going to kill himself, so, i use the life that he plan to throw away to send him to the person he loved the most."

WWX looks down to the body of JWY at the foot of the cliff. Sobbing hard and messily.

"This is my last gift to Zewu-Jun... and to Jiang Cheng."

WWX whispers softly to wind, hoping it will bring his message to JC, wherever he is right now... "Be happy, didi. Please be happy..."