Because of You

12

Lan Xichen was checked over by one of the healers once he, Wangji, and Lan Qiren arrived to the infirmary. The wound on Lan Xichen's head was tended to and his arm was splinted and wrapped so the break could heal. Lan Qiren then asked for the healer to leave so he could speak with his nephews.

"Xichen, why would you try to persuade your father? What happened?" Lan Qiren asked after the heart left.

"I told him I know what happened to Mother. That I lived a lifetime already and went back in time. I saw memories that were not mine and I was asked to help change the course of those memories...as best as I could," Lan Xichen explained, "I didn't think father would be so hostile."

"He has been that way since your mother passed away. You said you know the truth behind it because you were able to see the truth," Xichen said.

"That is why mother is not opening her door? She is not alive?" Wangji asked.

"I'm so sorry Wangji. When I told you there was no need to see her again, I should have explained it better to you," Lan Qiren said.

Wangji nodded but said nothing. He wanted to know more of what his brother had to say. He would have to think about everything else later.

"That is not all, I not only saw what really happened to mother, but I saw what happened to Wangji's soulmate...Wei Wuxian...he needs help, Shufu. He will be so miserable if we do not help him. In the future he will die, and because he bonded with Wangji, he died too. I want to protect them both," Xichen said.

Lan Qiren nodded, "Wei Wuxian...he is.."

"He is the son of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren," Xichen told him.

"Why not just keep them from meeting," Lan Qiren suggested.

"Shufu, you cannot do that. They are destined to meet. Even if you try to keep them apart, they will find a way to meet anyway. I think it is best if we try to help him, you just worry that he may be like his mother...but he also has a heart like yours...he cares for so many people but little about himself..which lead to his death in the first place," Lan Xichen explained.

Lan Qiren nodded and looked at Wangji. He was actually leaning onto Lan Qiren and had dozed off. Lan Qiren did not mind. Wangji has been hard on himself, kneeling all the time. Lan Qiren knew the boy was tired. He carefully took Wangji and cradled him in his arms.

"I think you are right...if Wangji does love him, who am I to judge. I just do not want him to make the same mistakes his father did," Lan Qiren said.

"Mother was raped, Shufu," Lan Xichen told him, "I did not see the name of the sword, but to get the man off of her, she managed to get the sword he had and struck him with it. She was forced upon...she was so depressed that no one would hear her out that she...took her own life. And I saw it all."

Lan Qiren was stunned beyond words. He stared at Lan Xichen in shock as the little boy cried. Lan Qiren could not believe that happened inside his home. Inside a sect that was always known for being respectful.

'Where did we all go wrong?' Lan Qiren thought, 'I will try to be the father that my brother could not be. I will make things right and I will try not to be so strict with them this time.'

"Xichen, I will make things better, will you tell me what the man looked like? His sword, anything you can tell me? She killed him but we need to look more into it. See if he has been like that with anyone else," Lan Qiren questioned.

Lan Xichen nodded and explained as best as he could in detail what happened and what the man looked like.

***

~*Jiang Yanli's POV*~

I was quite surprised when I heard that my mother had accepted A'Xian. She even was the first to say that she officially wanted to adopt him into the sect officially. A'Xian was thrilled but asked to keep his father's name. My parents agreed to his request. So now, this time around, he was a sect heir. He did also say, he wanted to let Jiang Cheng take the sect if something were to ever happen to our parents. Our parents were very shocked to hear that but they also agreed to that request as well. So even though he would have had claim before Jiang Cheng, they changed that so Jiang Cheng would first...if he was ready.

Since A'Xian was now adopted into the sect, Mother demanded he got rid of his black and red robes and start wearing the Jiang sect robes. Because he liked black, he wore dark purples and also black. He had his own clarity bell, and if anyone ever called him a Son of a Servant, they would be disrespectful towards not only him but to the sect as well.

After some more time, my mother actually became very fond of A'Xian. She would train him alongside with me. Jiang Cheng started training with us when he was ready. I was surprised when mother gifted A'Xian with his own spiritual whip. He named the whip Jingwei, which means spirit guardian, but it was also a same to a mythical bird. I found it to be unique.

During training, a disciple came by saying that news has developed from Gusu, saying the truth to Madam Lan's death had been told to the public. Her death was officially confirmed to be suicide, and was due to the injustice of the unreported rape.

She was raped?! In Gusu?

It was announced that Qingheng-Jun will remain in seclusion for his negligence to notice such acts. Lan Qiren would be the one to continue to act as the Sect Leader until his eldest nephew, Lan Xichen, comes of age to take over.

I began to wonder how such a thing could finally come to light. I also wondered if the to Lan brothers were okay.