Price To Pay

It was all negligible at first, - barely noticeable, hardly even worth mentioning. But over the last five years, the dull throbbing beneath his rib cage demanded more of his attention. Infrequent pinprick stabbing turned into regular painful constriction of his chest, enough to bowl him over, struggling to catch every breath. No matter how much he ate, how much he slept, - dark circles dogged beneath his reddened eyes, colour refused to rise above the ghastly paleness that washed over him.

Wei Wuxian foolishly hoped that he would not be caught out. But Lan Wangji would have to be blind not to notice. He may be a man of few words, but he wasn't clueless, - especially not when it concerned the former patriarch.

Subtle hints presented themselves to him much earlier on when they were still actively participating in night-hunts. The way Wei Wuxian clutched at his chest in silent agony every time he finishes performing a demonic art, or that it took twice as much effort to summon his dark energy, - and that was just the beginning. Despite his childishness and shameless coquettish ways, his better half would never admit to any  actual distressing discomfort. Wangji was left to protect him stealthily and where possible, act first before the other has the chance to call upon his demonic ways.

But there was only so much he could do to mitigate the inevitable. For a long time coming, Wangji forebode that such a day would come and the debt once forsook would come back with vengeance they could not evade. Unlike the way deviation of Qi takes life of cultivators, the demonic path has malicious means of taking its practitioner's life away, - more often than not, excruciatingly slow and painful.

"...there is a price to pay for cultivating the demonic path. Even from before time, there has never been an exception..."

"The path will not only damage your body, but your heart as well!"

Eyes clenched shut tightly in futility to repel his own words from echoing repulsively in his head. If there was a time Wangji hated being right, now would be the time.

Oh, how desperately he wished he was wrong for once.

Long lashes fluttered open to cast a forlorn gaze at the one whose head rested quietly on his lap, Wangji carefully ran his fingers through the black as night tresses as gently as he would caress the strings of his guqin.

"Wei Ying... wake up...please..." his plea was barely above a whisper but the undisguised despair was as clear as crystal.

But Wei Wuxian remained unmoving.

Not because he was being childishly juvenile with Wangji, nor was he being his usual sly coy self trying to buy more sleep-in time. Wangji would have given anything just to have another morning just like that of any other mornings.

However, life had other plans for the both of them from the moment he reluctantly agreed to the Yiling patriarch's last request to fulfil a village's appeal to exorcise soul-consuming spirit that preyed on young children. From the very moment they were being solicited, Wangji knew there was no way he could turned the village chief down. Not because of the righteous principles he held, but more so because of Wei Wuxian's inability to turn a blind eye especially when it came to children.

Hence, an agreement was drawn between the two. That Wangji would allow this one last night-hunt and then they would return posthaste to Gusu's Cloud Recesses, where Wei Wuxian would subject himself to the scrutiny of Lan Sect's medic and innumerable bed rest. That was the agreement.

The Second Jade was prepared to do most of the work during the night-hunt. He was adamant not to allow Wei Wuxian exercise his demonic skills.

If only life went as planned.