MDZS Collection

He's a Pirate - "He was Hung This Afternoon"

Wanji crept through the halls. In theory, a dungeon in which Wei Ying and his family should be, would be in the basement. Thunder boomed, and a child's cry caught Wanji's attention. Were the captives being held on this floor, just around the corner? Rounding to the source of the noise worsened the feeling in his gut. Jiang Yanli was sitting comforting her toddler while Jiang Cheng was making grumpy remarks next to her.

"Jiang Wanyin? Jiang Yanli?" Wanji blurted. The two looked up, shocked to see him.

"Lan Wanji? What are you doing here?" Jiang Cheng pointed an accusatory finger at him, glaring. Jiang Cheng never forgave him for the punishment his brother suffered for sneaking out at night and having alcohol on the premises. Lan Zhan paled.

"What are you doing here? As soon as he negotiated your freedom you should have fled!" Wanji reprimanded the siblings. The Jiangs shared a look.

"Who negotiated our freedom? Were we trapped?" Jiang Yanli asked in her soft voice.

"Jin Guangshan said he had you captive, and invited..." Seeing their blank faces, Wanji trailed off. No one knew Wei Ying was alive, and the threat was a prime example of why that was. He decided to change tactics.

"Why are you here?" He asked. Jiang Cheng scoffed.

"My sister lives here. You trying to say I can't visit my own sister?" as always, Jiang Cheng was confrontational. Wanji shook his head.

"I meant, why are you here now? Did someone invite you?" he pressed. Jiang Cheng opened his mouth filled with more aggressive remarks but none managed to surface.

"A-Xuan's father encouraged me to invite Jiang Cheng more often. He said A-Ling should have a good relationship with his uncle, especially since he never got the chance to meet his other uncle." Jiang Yanli spoke slowly as she put together the pieces.

"He said we should be together especially for today as it's A-Xian's birthday." Lan Wanji grimaced. He didn't even know it was Wei Ying's birthday today. He fished around inside his jacket for paper and something to write with. He needed to note the date so he would never forget it. His fingers brushed against crinkled paper. Wanji got many memos and notes, so out of habit he always tucked them away into a pocket to reference later, and that habit led to the note from Jin Guangshan being nestled in his pocket. He brought it out, part of him crying to burn it, and held it out to the siblings. Jiang Yanli started to reach for it, but Jiang Cheng snatched it from Wanji's hand, still glaring at him as he looked down to read it.

"I'm no one's captive! And why the hell would that damned ghost captain care about us?" Jiang Cheng growled. Jiang Yanli was a little more intelligent.

"Who is the Captian of the Black Hellion?" She inquired, unable to fathom anyone she knew leading a double life to be the Captain said to have crawled out from hell. Wanji shook his head.

"Not my secret to tell." Jiang Cheng wasn't having it.

"If we are his 'beloved' as the noted says, we deserve to know who we are acting as leverage against!" Wanyin barked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Wanji retorted. Jiang Yanli laid a comforting hand on Jiang Cheng (to shut him up).

"Tell us anyway," she begged. Wanji sighed.

"I cannot." the siblings were both dying to know, but it was obvious they wouldn't get it from Hanguangjun. Now, Wanji understood why the Rebellion's crew refused to disobey Wei Ying's orders and betray him, even when they were worried beyond words.

"It doesn't matter anymore. He was hung this afternoon. They left the cloth on his head to conceal his identity per his last wish." Yanli finally admitted. No, no, no, no! That couldn't be true. Wanji gripped the lady's arm.