Past is set in stone, only your feelings may change

Tears

Wei Wuxian was clutching Jin Ling tight to his chest and running very carefully. Even with his body now this weak and the junior being quite heavy with his almost adult build, he would never let Jin Ling fall. He did not know if he was allowed to call him his nephew after everything he had taken away from him, but deep down, he still wanted to dearly. Now was not the time though.

Wei Wuxian still remember only too vividly how Lan Zhan had helped him get Jin Ling out of the so called Man eating castle of the Qishan Nie sect. It had been one of the worst times of his life when he once again had not known if his family had been alive or not. Luckily, Jin Ling only seemed shaken, and cursed. Nothing Wei Wuxian would not be able to fix.

He had separated with Lan Zhan, promising that they would meet back in the town again. The Second Jade was chasing someone, possibly the perpetrator behind all of this, while Wei Wuxian had tasked himself with getting Jin Ling to safety. He could tell that there was something wrong with the young Lanling Jin sect heir and he was etching to check what was going on. He needed to hurry.

Finally, he made it back to the inn and put Jin Ling into his own bed. He quickly examined the youth for any injuries. There were no wounds which made Wei Wuxian sight in relief. He could not imagine losing another member of his family. All he had found was a curse mark on the boy's calf. He had already guessed that it must have been somewhere, otherwise, Jin Ling would have woken up by now, he was a strong kid.

Wei Wuxian did not even have to think about what he was going to do; he could not leave Jin Ling cursed, he knew that a curse mark could cause hallucinations. Since he had no golden core or spiritual energy, he could not purify it, but he could transfer it to himself. Better him than his nephew.

He started the transfer immediately.

Suddenly, he found himself in Koi Tower. He knew that he was now inside Jin Ling's hallucination. He wondered what the child was seeing. Just as it would be expected from illusions brought upon by a curse, it was not pleasant in the least.

He watched as Jin Ling struggled against bullies and questioned why his parents had abandoned him. He looked completely heartbroken. Something a young child who he was right now should never experience. Wei Wuxian's heart was aching for him, it had been all his fault if Jin Ling had to go through something like that when he had been growing up. He could not bear to see him cry like that.

He could not just watch impassively any longer and he showed himself to his nephew. He reassured him that the child's parents were still watching over him even though they could not really be by his side. He sat down next to him and started to tell him about his parents.

As he was narrating every since memory he had of both Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, he could see those times replay in front of his eyes. All the good times and the bad. He had not much to say about the late Lanling Jin sect heir, he had never liked Jin Zixuan too much and thus not gotten to know him. But he had plenty of stories about his kind and always protective Shijie.

At some point, he realized that the curse mark must have been already transferred to him. He was all alone and the scenery had changed. He was in Lotus Pier now. So many memories were tied to the place and he was observing how his younger self and his siblings had once been innocent and happy. It hurt to remember because they could never go back to those times. Never; because he had destroyed that happiness and the bright future with his own hands.

The lake around him had become the colour of blood and he was suddenly watching his sister die in front of his eyes again. It was too much for him, it hurt deep down, as if his soul was being removed, even more so than the core transfer had made him suffer.

At least back then, he knew he was doing it to save his brother, this time, he could only endure while tears were streaming down from his eyes, it was all his fault and he would never be able to correct it. He would never be able to give Jin Ling his parents back.