Thread by @Ash_obsess

Day 3: Remember & Pale Orange

Modern Lan Wangji comes across a demonic cultivator who reminds him of a certain Immortal in his past life...

⬇️Read more below

#TopxianBottomjiWeek #MDZS

Lan Wangji is sent to investigate a haunting in Yiling which is reported to be caused by some unrest in the Burial Mounds.

The villagers also speak of a certain Immortal nicknamed the Yiling Laozu who resides atop the cliffs and had guarded over them for centuries.

Lan Wanji doesn't believe such rumours because the Burial Mounds have been practically uninhabitable for century and no one has been able to tame its darkness.

In addition, the idea that there exists an immortal who practices Demonic Cultivation is even more absurd.

The person he comes across the closest to the Burial Mounds introduces himself as Mo Xuanyu.

Lan Wangji introduces himself as a Lan cultivator trying to understand the trouble with these wayward spirits that might be linked to the Burial Mounds and its resentful energy.

"Ah Lan Xiansheng, there's no way those disturbances are caused by the resentful energy in Burial Mounds," says Mo Xuanyu.

"How are you so sure?"

Mo Xuanyu grabs him by his wrist and drags him over to the very boundary of where resentment seems to thicken quite suddenly.

"See? The resentment does not escape beyond this boundary and it has been that way for centuries!"

Lan Wangji holds out his hand and sure enough the energy seems to blocked out by a complex /blood array/.

Lan Wangji takes in a sharp breath and his voice slightly shaken, "Did you know such an array requires a great sacrifice on part of the castor and the one who sacrifices themselves?"

Mo Xuanyu is silent for a moment, still observing Lan Wanji in a way that makes him feel /seen/.

"I think the price must have been very high on both their parts to provide such protection for centuries," LWJ says.

"I still think it is Lan Zhan," Mo Xuanyu says and as a shadow crosses his face, his eyes glowing /red/.

I'll continue if there's any interest, tysm for reading so far!

Lan Wangji is sure he is hallucinating but under the shadow of the tree Mo Xuanyu is under, he seems much much older.

"Come, I'll show you the way back," he says, pulling Lan Wangji out of his thoughts.

He decides to stay at an inn shown to him by MXY until he knows what caused

the disturbances if it wasn't the Burial Mounds.

In spite of only coming across positive things throughout the day with his investigation, he still feels restless.

He dreams of red eyes, watching over him and even if he doesn't know who it is, he feels /safe/.

After a few days of MXY accompanying him and asking around Yiling, he has figured out the most probable cause for the curse is a ghost. It seems to be connected to an old abandoned house.

MXY insists on coming along with him saying he's never seen a spirit haunting before.

"And that too suppressed by such a pretty cultivator," MXY says throwing in a wink.

"Shameless, you-"

"You just haven't changed at all LWJ," he says and grins.

LWJ has no idea what he means since they've only known each other for a few days now.

The spirit suppression starts off well but it seems to have absorbed the excess resentful energy near the boundary to the Burial Mounds.

It's probably the strongest spirit he has faced which is a challenge he would generally enjoy but he fears for MXY's safety.

His fears are proven correct as the spirit slashes at him and LWJ throws himself between them.

The claw grazes his heart, cutting his skin but before the nails could drive deeper he feels a huge surge of resentful energy right behind him, the spirit crushed into black smoke.

LWJ feels his head pounding as he stares up at the figure clothed in darkness behind him.

His heart seems to ache as he stares at those red glowing eyes.

"Wei Ying?"

He has no idea where he has ever heard that name before but it feels so /right/.

Immediately the red eyes turn back to silver and rage to concern.

"Lan Zhan, are you alright?" he asks, leaning LWJ's back against his chest to wrap a bandage.

His lips twitch, wanting to point out that such a small scratch would probably heal within the hour but the look of

concern on his face stops him.

"Wei Ying?" he calls out again.

"Hmm? What is it Lan Zhan?" he asks distracted trying to tie to knot on the cloth for a bandage.

"Is that your name? Why did you lie to me?" he thinks back to the rush of resentful energy coming from the barrier

crushing the spirit. The resentful energy that is supposed to be locked within the Burial Mounds by the blood array centuries old.

"Are you the Yiling Laozu?" he asks looking into steel grey eyes.

Wei Ying grins widely and gripping his hand to pull him up in response.

"That's just a silly nickname given by the people at Yiling, Lan Zhan. Wei Wuxian, at your service," he mock bows eyes glittering.

LWJ's ears turn red and he starts marching towards the inn. He has no idea what he is embarrassed about. Something about Wei Ying /unravels/ him.

I kinda see I'm going nowhere with this and I have no energy to write a full length fic so rapid summary coming through:

A thousand years ago, Yiling Laozu was the founder of demonic cultivator who had created the whole cultivation method since he never had a golden core.

When the war between Wen and the Four major sects began, it had dragged on over 6 years until someone approached the Yiling Laozu for help.

He ended up defeating the Wen army in a year but asked for a hand in marriage in return.

The person he married was Lan Wanji.

They had been happily married but then trouble brew because of the unconquered Yiling.

It was the only district that had not been claimed by any of the sects and it might just be the tipping point for who becomes the next chief cultivator.

Thus, they decided to send assassins.

In one of their attempts LWJ was fatally injured and WWX began to lose himself, wanting to destroy all the great sects for daring to do this but LWJ asked for a dying wish.

To cast a blood array upon the entire Burial Mounds with his death so Yiling no longer needs a protector.

WWX cast the array crying, as his sacrifice was accepted and LWJ breathed his last.

He then figured out the people responsible and bathed in their blood. He had wanted to kill himself and lay himself down to rest besides him beloved so they might reincarnate together.

But no matter what he did he could not kill himself.

He isn't sure if he became too proficient in demonic cultivation or killed too many people in cold blood or if this was another part of LWJs sacrifice but he became a functional immortal.

He decided to simply stay in the outskirts of Yiling, in the memory of LWJ.

And centuries later he meets LWJ again...