The Demonic Clan of Yiling (MDZS Fanfic)

A Warm Welcome Home

Wei Yuan waved goodbye to his friends the next morning and walked down the mountain of Gusu with his father and Hanguang-jun.

The two of them were engaged in a mostly one sided conversation were Wei Wuxian talked and Lan Wangji would hum. It was mainly about Wei Yuan's behaviour and how he had been while in Gusu, but there was something about they way the two were together that made the boy stay out of it. He wasn't sure he was okay with the way his father would occasionally touch Hanguang-jun or the way Hanguang-jun looked at his father, but they were happy so he swallowed his bitter thoughts.

The trip back to Yiling Wei Yuan mostly told Wei Wuxian his story of his time in Gusu and his father listened carefully and always had the best reactions. He was happy to hear that A-Yuan had made friends and that he had been invited to Yunmeng with them. He also mentioned that he too had been invited and Wei Yuan said he already knew.

About three quarters of the way through their journey Wei Wuxian caught his son up on what had happened in Yiling. He told him about the other disciples' night hunt and how they had made friends with two new cultivators, but that was it.

Then they made it home and the sun was starting to set again. Wei Yuan entered Blood Palace and was instantly rushed by a group of people in red and black robes.

"A-Yuan!" A-Qing yelled as she wrapped an arm around his neck and forced him to double over so she could ruffle his hair. From somewhere in the distance he could hear Wen Qing huff, but it was in that overly dramatic, fun sort of way.

Once A-Qing let go he felt someone pull him into a hug and based on their cold skin he could tell it was Wen Ning.

"Hey, Shushu." Wei Yuan grinned and hugged him back.

"Hello A-Yuan." He replied and patted the boy's back.

"Hey I want a turn!" Xuanyu pouted and Wei Yuan pulled away from Wen Ning and hugged the shorter boy.

"Don't smother him now babe. I still haven't had a chance to greet him." Xue Yang laughed but at his words Wei Yuan pulled away and stared at them.

"What did you just call him?" He asked and Xue Yang smirked.

"Babe."

Wei Yuan took a step back and glared at his father, who rubbed his head and avoided eye contact.

"Years!" He yelled and A-Qing started laughing. "I watched them pine over each other for years! And I went to Gusu thinking nothing would happen, only to find this! And you didn't even think to mention it!?" Wen Ning snickered behind his hand while Wei Wuxian began to whistle absentmindedly.

"Oh calm down." Xue Yang scoffed and took a step forward.

"Meh meh meh." A-Yuan mocked earning another chokehold and hair ruffling from Xue Yang.

"Are you done yet?" Wen Qing sighed and Xue Yang let go with a wicked grin. A-Yuan shot him a rude hand gesture as he stepped toward his auntie. She slapped his hand gently and wrapped him in her own hug.

"Welcome home A-Yuan." She said softly and the boy smiled.

"Thanks Qing-niang."

---<~>---

Wei Yuan spent the next few hours talking about his time in Gusu and as always the Yiling disciples were the best audience.

When he got the the part about what Jin Chan had done Xue Yang even punched the table.

"That Jin scumbag!" He growled, but Xuanyu quickly persuaded him back to his seat.

Eventually Wei Yuan got to the happier parts were he spent time with his friends. He skipped over the whole incident with Jingyi though as that seemed personal.

Just before Wen Qing told them to go to bed he brought up his invite to Yunmeng and Xuanyu pouted.

"But we just got you back!" He wined and Wen Qing sighed.

"It's only for a week. You knew this was coming when sect leader Jiang sent that letter. There's no point in whining." She said but Xuanyu crossed his arms.

"There is. Whining gets you what you want." He explained and then winked at Xue Yang who smirked.

"Eww stop." A-Qing groaned and covered her eyes. Wei Yuan laughed.

"Alright I think it's time for bed." Wei Wuxian chimed and stood up from his seat. "Xue Yang, Xuanyu, separate rooms. I'm sick of A-Qing complaining." He added and shot the two boys a look. Xue Yang scoffed and Xuanyu's cheeks flushed, but they did as he said.

Wei Yuan followed the group upstairs to the second floor and watched them all go to their rooms. Just as he was about to go to his own room he felt someone come up next to him and ruffle his hair.

"It's good to have you back." Wei Wuxian said and stared softly at his son. Wei Yuan smiled and gently nudged his father's shoulder.

"I'm glad to be back." He replied. They stood there for a few seconds before something popped into Wei Yuan's head. "Hey, Baba?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you communicating with sect leader Jiang?" He asked and Wei Wuxian blinked and then shrugged.

"I send letters with the ravens." He answered and Wei Yuan frowned at him.

"Since when was that a thing?"

"Since always? Is that why you didn't send any letters this whole time?" The corners of his lips twitched and Wei Yuan felt his cheeks get warm out of embarrassment.

"No..." He mumbled. Wei Wuxian chuckled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'll show you tomorrow. Now, off to bed." He smiled gently and nudged the boy in the direction of his room. Wei Yuan nodded and waved at his father before walking away.

---<~>---

The next few days Wei Yuan spent trying to get his sleep schedule back to the Yiling one, instead of the Gusu one. As well as that, he went back to training with his sect mates. He had improved a lot over the past few months, but so had the others.

Currently he was stuck in a though battle with Xue Yang while Xuanyu and A-Qing cheered on the side.

Xue Yang came crashing down with his sword. A cheap move he had developed to quickly end a battle so that he could move onto the next. It was so packed with speed and power that, before going to Gusu, it would always knock A-Yuan out of the match. However today A-Yuan was able to avoid it with ease thanks to some of the tricks Zizhen had taught him. 

A-Qing and Xuanyu roared as the younger boy got to his feet and made his own move. he stabbed out with his sword and Xue Yang dodged pretty easily, but the second he was off balance A-Yuan struck out with his foot and knocked him over. Then once he was on the floor A-Yuan tried to replicate the move Xue Yang had pulled earlier, but the older boy dodged and laughed heartily.

"Holy shit A-Yuan, you're relentless!" He chuckled and Wei Yuan smirked.

"You have to climb the ladder quickly in Gusu." He shrugged. 

Xue Yang lunged at him and he swivelled around to avoid the blade, but within a split second he felt his body get yanked to the ground and all the wind got knocked out of him. He staggered in deep breaths as the world spun and felt something cold press against his neck.

"Looks like you're still a rookie here." Xue Yang grinned as Wei Yuan glared at him.

"That was cheap..." He choked out and Xue Yang cackled.

"This isn't Gusu! Not every fight is fair." He held out a hand to the younger boy who took it still pouting. Xue Yang patted his shoulder. "You did good."