Gold Blood Eyes ||Mo Dao Zu Shi||

Chapter 2: Xichen's Desperation

Wei WuXian pondered for a few moments, still slightly hidden. Why were they here? And why hadn't Jiang Cheng informed him before that he was dropping a visit with Lan Xichen. A small stutter of his breath made him panic a bit, 'Did he figure out about Lan Zhan?'

No. That would be impossible, they were extremely careful. Only the Wen remnants were aware and Lan WangJi would have sent him a letter or come to the mountains himself with Lan Xichen. He knew this, at least, he forced himself to believe the male would.

He heard the crackle of Zidian and decided that he had done enough stalling. He stepped out from the covering of shadows, the red of his inner robes glittering as the sparse rays of sun stole a peak with the movement of the fabric that enacted from the calm strides. Wei WuXian spoke clearly, voice cutting through the terrain like a sword glare in the sky, "There's no need to forcefully break down my ward's. It's quite annoying to set them up again,"

The two Sect Leaders glanced up at him, surprised. Zidian's inky black body surrounded by purple sparks, vanished, slightering up and returning to its form as an amethyst ring on Jiang Cheng's pointer finger. The disciples behind the sect leaders all blinked, in slight awe of seeing the YiLing Patriarch in person. The Jiang disciples smiled a bit, the leader of the disciples saluting, the others following his lead. Seeing this, the Lan disciples did the same. Jiang Cheng sent an approving smile to his disciples, before focusing back on his brother who looked...different than two years ago.

Wei WuXian smiled seeing the greeting, walking closer and giving a small bow in return. He raised back and looked calmly at Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng from behind the barrier, "And what has the world suspected I've done to send Sect Leaders...and a bunch of disciples?"

"Nothing- at least, I hope not," Lan Xichen sighed and Wei WuXian noticed the tired look in the grey-amber eyes. It made his smile drop a bit, unused to seeing such clear exhaustion on the man whose reputation praised serenity.

"Then why are you here?" Wei WuXian narrowed his eyes, not cutting any corners, "if it was important, Jiang Cheng could've told me to expect you,"

"No, I couldn't, " Jiang Cheng defended himself, "Especially since I was informed of this two days ago when Zewu Jun asked me to accompany him to Burial Mounds. I didn't have the bracelet! Just gathered a bunch of disciples to join us,"

"I told you to always wear it!" Wei WuXian pouted and then processed the rest of the sentence, "Wait- why didn't Zewu jun and the Lan disciples just come by himself?"

"Sect Leader Jiang is your brother, " Lan Xichen explained, "I thought that you would be more likely to listen,"

Wei WuXian glanced between the two Sects with a frown. He couldn't help himself but doubt it. Many small sects would come by and try to make Wei WuXian step out of Yiling or rile him up to attack him. Give some excuse to make sure he could never come back to the real world. Thankfully, he had set up these wards and simply walked away when bored or ignored them.

So- even as he saw his brother and the most honorable sect leader, he couldn't help but fear this was an order since the three years were soon to be over. A test within the test to see if he could adhere to the rules, no matter what. With that doubt in mind, he glanced over and called, "A-Ning!"

Wen Ning ran forward, stopping at Wei WuXian's side. The demonic cultivator took notice as to how many of the disciples went on alert, the Lan disciples gripping the hilts of their swords tighter, while the Jiang disciples just stiffened. The difference illuminated from the fact that Yunmeng didn't shun Wei WuXian, still treating him as their former da-shixiong in gossip. The few seniors that had survived the attack of Lotus Pier due to being away from the sect told stories often of their childish head disciple and stories of all those before. Still, they weren't spared the terrifying gossips of the demon that was the YiLing Patriarch and his right hand, Wen Ning, a sentient fierce corpse.