The Untamed Oneshots / CQL / WangXian

Immortal Patriarch (Vol. 1)

The ceremony was small.

Lotus Pier had met its demise in short succession after Cloud Recesses became but dust and shadows of its former glory. It is said that the former clan leader and the Violet Spider had been done utmost indecency, strung up by Wen Chao as trophies for his accomplishment before the three remaining family members were able to give them a proper burial.

The Second Jade of Gusu Lan knew his own truth and the truth that the Jiang siblings gave him. The problem is, he was not sure if it amassed to the whole truth.

The Jiang siblings and their head disciple had miraculously survived the slaughter of their clan. A fact. Sometime afterwards, Wei Wuxian had been separated from the group and vanished without a trace. Odd. The mischievous teen was nothing if not loyal and would die to protect those he loves - a thought that would normally endear and concern Lan Wangji for his utter lack of self-preservation, but now served to render him nauseous - so he would not leave his siblings unless for a good reason. This is where the lines got hazy.

Wangji had tried prodding, asking the new, young clan leader what could have been the cause of their split.

"We had something to take care of," Jiang Wanyin said. He sighed heavily and gazed at the horizon. "He promised to meet me at the teahouse in Yiling...but I never saw him again."

There had been as much truth in that statement as there had been lies. The youngest Jade could see it in the little things: how the Jiang gnawed on his bottom lip before he answered, his eyes growing distant with a spark of anger and concern, how he stood with the hand bearing Zidian held in front of his stomach as if protecting himself from a foe only he could see.

But, Jiang Wanyin was a lot of things, including his mother's child, stubborn beyond argument, and he never yielded any more information. And though Lan Wangji's trust in the clan leader was questionable at best, he knew and felt the sincerity when Wanyin said he did not know where his adopted brother was. And so the search began.

For three months the unlikely duo chased the Wen, claiming back territories and questioning any lowlife about where Wei Wuxian was, to no avail. Three months and all they had were Suibian - the sword had sealed itself and refused to be wielded by anyone but its true master, and was now being carried by Lan Wangji, the wooden texture bringing him comfort when the nights felt too long and sleep evaded him - and a drunken confession of Wei Ying being thrown into the Burial Mounds.

An icy horror had clawed its way down the Jade's spine that day. If that was indeed true then his body would be gone and his soul shattered beyond repair. His Wei Ying would be lost to the world.

They had recovered their swords that day. Jiang Wanyin had been thrilled to have Sandu back but Bichen, once Wangji's pride and symbol of cultivation, was forgotten in favour of another. Suibian had thrummed weakly in his grasp, a faint tugging at his aching heart that was breaking into thousands of pieces and slicing at his soul; a physical hurt from being away from his soulmate.

He could not bring himself to give the sword up. Perhaps it had shown, a slither of emotion through the crack in his mask, because Wanyin never asked for it back.

'Wei Ying...where on earth are you?'

They searched and searched and searched until the decisive call was made. Wei Wuxian was nowhere to be found; they were in the middle of a war and needed to see the Sunshot Campaign through. It had taken many discussions and the idea had been met with constant push back from the Jiang Clan Leader and Wangji himself (much to everyone's surprise. Did he not detest the missing youth?), but the day finally came and the news was announced to the cultivation world.