The Demonic Clan of Yiling (MDZS Fanfic)

The Scream of a Monster (Pt.4)

"One more time. What if it turns out to be a demon?" Jingyi asked the tall boy in black and red.

The four junior disciples were huddled together around the foot of a tree. The adults had told them to wait there while they drew an array that would alert them of when the creature was near by. They had been gone for at least 5 minutes and the four teenagers were growing restless.

"He's told you a hundred times already! If it's a demon, then we will use the talisman Wei Wuxian and Hanguang-jun made. If it's a curse, then we retreat and try to find a way to break it." Jin Ling exclaimed sounding fed up.

"I just want to be sure! It would really suck if someone died because of a stupid mistake." Jingyi grumbled.

"No one is going to die." Zizhen cut in. 

"We don't know that. We don't really know anything about this creature. So, yeah, someone probably will die tonight." Wei Yuan said, sounding way to calmer than he appeared.

The three other boys shot glares at him. That was not what they wanted to hear while sitting in the middle of a forest, waiting for the array to go off and for the battle to begin. Wei Yuan grinned sheepishly at them.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Jin Ling facepalmed out of sheer frustration. Zizhen knew it wasn't just because of what Wei Yuan had said. He knew Jin Ling hated feeling useless and afraid. He was also worried about his uncle who was out still drawing the array.

Next to Jin Ling sat Jingyi. He also looked stressed as he clutched his sword to his body. They didn't mention it, Zizhen actually wondered if the others even knew, but Jingyi came very close to being killed by the monster yesterday. Zizhen had to pull him away seconds before the creature's large claws sunk their way into Jingyi's chest. He had seen the look of terror on the boys face as the creature snapped its jaws in his direction. Zizhen could only imagine how much Jingyi dreaded going back up against this monster again. 

Wei Yuan sat on Zizhen's right. His sword lay next to his leg. Zizhen watched him fiddle with the black jade token that was tied to the hilt by some red and white material. As if noticing Zizhen's gaze, Wei Yuan smiled at him.

"Ning-shushu made it for me after my grandmother died." He explained softly. Zizhen nodded in understanding.

"Ning-shushu? The Ghost General is your uncle?" Jin Ling asked curiously.

"Not directly. He and Qing-niang are my biological father's cousins, but I guess they're also kinda like baba's siblings as well. So, yeah they are." Wei Yuan explained.

For some reason the other three boys hadn't considered the fact that Wei Yuan had been adopted. Even though he and Wei Wuxian didn't look that alike, they had all just assumed the boy took after his mother. They were now also realising that the Wen siblings being related to Wei Yuan meant that the boy was also a Wen by blood and Jin Ling didn't hesitate to point this out. He had lost many family members to the Wens and when he spoke he sounded more aggressive than before.

"So you were born a Wen?" He asked bitterly.

"I was. But I haven't gone by that name for many years now. Baba decided to change it when he officially adopted me because we were all still being hunted. Not that being a Wei was any better at the time, but at least then people were hesitant to go near you because of Wei Wuxian's reputation. It was a good decision in the long run. Most Wens are still being hunted. Only the ones at the Burial Mounds are really safe because our clan is protecting them. Even Qing-niang needs to go travelling with someone so she doesn't get hurt."

The three boys listened to Wei Yuan talk. They couldn't imagine living like that or even growing up like that. Wei Wuxian had to change his son's name at a young age just to keep him safe and the Wens couldn't leave the Burial Mounds without protection. Sure the Qishan Wen clan had done some horrible things and some of them deserved to suffer, but after spending the day in Yiling, at the Burial Mounds with the Wen refuges, It was clear that not all of them needed to pay for the mistakes a few people made.

Zizhen felt Jin Ling's rage next to him die down and they all fell silent. 

---<~>---

15 minutes later there was a rustling of bushes and 2 of the 4 adults returned.

"We're just waiting for Jiang Cheng and Wen Ning to come back and then we can set up the spiritual attraction flags." Wei Wuxian said as he stretched his back.

"Mn." Hanguang-jun replied.

Wei Wuxian made his way over to where the juniors sat and plopped himself down next to Wei Yuan. The boy rested his head on his father's shoulder and Zizhen felt something sour pool in his chest. The two of them had such a close relationship. It was something you could tell just from watching them for a few minutes, and it was something Zizhen had never experienced with his own father. Watching them made Zizhen's heart burn with envy because Wei Wuxian was clearly proud of everything his son did. Whereas Zizhen had spent his entire life trying to live up to his father's expectations and even when he pushed himself to his breaking point it still wasn't good enough. All he wanted was to be able to rest his head on his father's shoulder when he needed comfort, like how Wei Yuan was doing, but he knew that that would never happen.

Wei Wuxian wrapped his arm around Wei Yuan's shoulders and Zizhen stood up, unable to handle the burning sensation that was making its way up his throat. He made his way over to Jingyi who had gone to join Hanguang-jun the minute the man arrived. The boy gave him a sympathetic smile when he saw him. Jingyi knew exactly what the sect leader of the Baling Ouyang clan was like and understood how hard it must have been for Zizhen to sit there for that long.

"You don't really think someone is going to die tonight do you? You actually meant what you said earlier?" He asked softly but also desperately. Zizhen sighed slightly.

"I can't promise things will turn out fine Jingyi, you know that. At least now we have the Yiling Patriarch and Ghost General to help us, and Wei Yuan as well. If things take a turn we can always regroup and work something out." Zizhen tried to calm Jingyi down, but the boy still seemed apprehensive. "You'll be okay, I'll make sure of it." He squeezed the younger boy's shoulder slightly.

"God! Haven't I told you to do something about the racket those chains are making!? Why have you even got them? You weren't wearing them earlier!" Someone yelled in the distance.

"As I have already explained to you sect leader Jiang, I use them as weapons. Some of us aren't lucky enough to be able to wield a sword so we opt for other things. And I apologise for the noise, there's only so much I can do. At least I'm not adding to it by bitching about it." Another agitated voice said. 

Two men came out a clearing just ahead of the group. Both of them had grumpy looks on their faces as they walked over. Wen Ning sat down next to Wei Wuxian and Wei Yuan. While Jiang Cheng put as much distance between himself and the Ghost General as possible.

"Your brother is a fucking asshole." Wen Ning mumbled to Wei Wuxian who snorted.

"There's one in every family Wen Ning. I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about you right now."

"Yeah, but at least mine is true. I was only rude because he pissed me off."

Wei Wuxian laughed again and Jiang Cheng let out a scoff. 

Zizhen watched them bicker with a smile. It was clear that there was a rivet in Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's relationship, but in moments like this, where neither one of them corrected Wen Ning when he called them brothers, it was clear that they still cared for each other.

"Sect leader Jiang never catches a break here." Jingyi whispered to Zizhen.

"He sure doesn't." Zizhen agreed. Jingyi was about to say something else when Hanguang-jun stopped him by putting a finger to his lips. The group fell silent.

A deep rumbling sound filled their ears and made wind swirl around them. Zizhen's hand reached for his sword as the people sitting quickly rose to their feet and faced the direction of the noise. Loud bangs made the floor shudder and before it even had time to activate, the array was broken.