Gold Blood Eyes ||Mo Dao Zu Shi||

Chapter 19: Love

After Meng Yao was guided away, Jin ZiXuan moved on to the second order of business, "Then, as everyone is already here, I will state this now. As sect leader of the Jin sect, I deem all allegations against Wei WuXian and the Wen Remnants dropped, and their names innocent,"

"The Jiang Sect agrees,"

"As do the Lan,"

"And Nie," Nie MingJue's voice is what pauses any protest, "We have all seen first hand the settlement. There's no cultivator, everyone is innocent,"

Wei WuXian and Wen Qing are frozen in shock. Jiang Cheng announces, "They will be brought to Yunmeng as A-Xian is my right hand and older brother,"

Lan WangJi takes Wei WuXian's hand softly, "Not only that, but everyone in the cultivation world owes Wei Ying their life and favor. Without him, we would all be under Wen Ruohan's tyranny and lost the war. Not to mention how the cultivation world uses his inventions greedily, yet never gives him the appropriate credit,"

Wei WuXian is speechless. He stares at Lan WangJi, eyes wide. Silence follows, despite the shameful expressions and lowered heads. Jin ZiXuan ends the meeting and everyone is quick to leave. Madam Jin takes Jin ZiXun out so he won't cause trouble, giving a nod to her son as she left. Soon the hall was empty except for the young group of gentry.

Jin ZiXuan and Jiang Yanli rise to their feet, the group standing in a circle in the middle of the hall. There was a comfortable silence around them, all their minds going over the last couple weeks. Wei WuXian breaks it first, smiling and placing a gentle hand on Wen Qing's shoulder, "Well, it was a pleasure to see you all again,"

Frowns blossom at once. Nie MingJue asks, "Why are you saying it like that?"

"Lan Zhan is okay, everything is okay. I've done what I needed," Wei WuXian smiled and then glanced at Wen Qing who nodded to him, "We should head back home- to YiLing,"

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Cheng scowled, "Were you not paying attention? You're free, you're all free. You don't have to live behind the Burial Mounds. You can come home, the Wens can all come to Yunmeng with us,"

He speaks a little softer, "We're the Twin Prides of Yunmeng, after all..."

Wei WuXian winced, "A-Cheng, I can't be by your side, you know this. Not without a golden core,"

Jiang Cheng's face sours at the reminder. Nie Huaisang looks at Wei WuXian, "When did it even happen? If you got caught back then by Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu melted your core, Wen Chao would have bragged the same way he bragged about throwing you into the Burial Mounds," Nie Huaisang shook his head, "Damn it, Wei-Xiong. How did you manage to convince us he hadn't,"

Wei WuXian didn't say anything, shifting awkwardly. He glances at Wen Qing, who is glaring sharply at the younger. She's telling him silently to tell the truth, to explain what happened. Wei WuXian turned away and gave a harmless smile, "Its in the past, who cares?"

Jiang Cheng snapped at the sentence, his brother's lack of self-preservation always ticking him off, "How could you not tell me such a thing?! For so many fucking years!!!"

"If I had told you, if I had told anyone, I wouldn't have been able to fight," Wei WuXian defended.

Lan Xichen frowns deeply, "For good reason. A-Ying, you shouldn't have been fighting at all,"

Wei WuXian feels a familiar anger and defense rise in him. Not fight? Not fight just because he could die? Wei WuXian hadn't been conditioned that way. He had to be a service. If he could not fight or protect those he loved, he was useless! What other point did his life have?!