The Story of Their Distance (mdzs fanfiction)

Sorrow

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and art used in the story. AU and OOC

4.5 years in Cultivation Realm (~20 years on the Celestial Moutain)

A few months of preparations led him to the same spot where his biggest regret was born. His breath hitched, a mirage of the clad in black and red man played in the front of his eyes. His sparkling eyes, then awkward laugh. Wangji stretched his arm, but his fingers came across nothingness. Wei Ying was gone.

'Where I would go if I were you?' Lan Zhan wondered, following a path north. 'He must have to feel rejected, maybe betrayed. Would Wei Ying avoid people or seek companions?' Then, he remembered how Wuxian would look for information. A couple of days later, Wangji approached a small village. It seemed peaceful but lively. He still wore Gusu white clothes but dressed down to appear more casual and less intimidating. Wangji wondered how to get information without buying several jars of wine but figured he could just pay for it.

The inn was simple but full of an appetising aroma. Lan Zhan sat at the table near the storyteller's corner and ordered several dishes. He heard this story many times. After all, he and Nie Huaisang came up with it. It was a good story, but maybe it was too late for Wei Ying? Clearing his name won't bring back the people he lost to power-hungry Jins. Wen remnants were gone, Wei Ying's only family, when the whole cultivation world turned against him.

I, Wei Wuxian, wish that I can always stand for justice and live with no regrets.

Wangji sighed. While Wei Ying did his best to fulfil their wish, everyone condemned him. No one helped him. No one cared about the truth. 'We all were content with ourselves, choosing an easy way out. Even I... What did I do for him? Nothing.' What is white? What is black? Who is strong? Who is weak? 'You had it all figured out, didn't you, Wei Ying? But did you truly live with no regrets? Wasn't it hard to be responsible for them with no one to rely on? When everyone failed to see the real you? Was it hard to be the sole person to stand for justice? Where did you find the strength to keep going... to stick to your single log bridge?'

Once the waiter arrived with his order, Wangji asked him about a young man in black who may have passed here a few years ago. Unfortunately, no one heard about Wei Ying. They had some trouble with fierce corpses around the time he left, but it suddenly stopped. Villagers didn't know who took care of it. A tiny flame of hope flickered in his chest. It could be him. It was vague, but it was something to hold on to.

'Where are you now? I'm fading without you, Wei Ying.'

Before he realised his feet carried him to Yiling, a place Wei Ying used to call home for a long time. The shrouded in resentment Burial Mounds loomed on the horizon, casting a shadow over the vibrant city. As he walked the streets, Wangji heard a few voices saying that things were much more peaceful when Yiling Patriarch resided in the area.

"I don't understand why they called him evil back then. He kept fierce corpses and evil spirits in check. Ever since his death, things have been much more challenging here."

The old man nodded as they disappeared around the corner.

Lan Wangji sighed. 'Sects were really blind back then. We all judged him without investigating the rumours, without asking for his side of the story. I'm ashamed... calling myself his soulmate, but I didn't believe in him, couldn't see past demonic cultivation. I never realised how many struggles he faced.'

"What are you doing here?" an angry voice asked as he approached the borders of Burial Mounds.

"Passing by."

"What for?"

No matter how much time passed, he could not get rid of resentment towards Jiang Cheng. "I do not see why I should explain myself to you."