Chapter Text
When his mother’s spirit disappears from his side without warning one day, Lan Sizhui is not surprised. He is even less surprised when he receives a message carried over by a bird with distinctive black and yellow plumage. After perusing its contents, Lan Sizhui burns the message with a fire talisman and then sends the messenger bird back along its way. It is time to begin making his preparations.
--
When Lan Jingyi receives notice that he is assigned to his first unsupervised night hunt, he is understandably excited as all junior disciples are at his age to be given such a task. Finally, a chance to prove his mettle and make a name for himself in their sect! Maybe it’ll be something super cool too so he can brag about it to all his fellow disciples when he comes back. Maybe he’ll meet a girl who will be interested in a young cultivator such as himself.
But his elation quickly turns to skepticism and for all the right reasons it seems when he questions who else is assigned to the night hunt. Then his skepticism becomes a pool of dread and terror.
“How are you leader on this mission?” Lan Jingyi whines, flopping face down on his bunk in the disciple quarters. They’re meant to be packing for the trip which Lan Sizhui does diligently while Lan Jingyi gripes about the unfairness of the world which is totally justified.
“Nepotism,” Lan Sizhui replies with a smile. “The answer is always nepotism.”
If Hanguang Jun runs towards chaos, then Lan Sizhui attracts chaos like a magnet. Lan Jingyi doesn’t know why or how it happens but no matter where they go, Lan Sizhui seems to be in the thick of whatever hell is being unleashed on them in the name of training the next generation of young budding cultivators. Creepy abandoned manor rumored to be housing a den of resentful ghosts? Lan Sizhui is somehow standing in the nexus of the ghost activity with various household items floating around him with no apparent cause. Haunted forest with reported disappearances? Lan Sizhui is sitting in a field of rare snow lilies weaving flowers with man-headed spiders giving him a wide berth. It’s gotten to the point where whichever instructor they’re with for the day just turns the other eye and ushers the rest of the disciples in the other direction whenever they see Lan Sizhui doing his thing. Lan Jingyi calls it the Lan Sizhui Effect.
“I am thoroughly disgusted with you.” Lan Jingyi proclaims. “But I still love you as my best friend. Which is what I feel basically all the time when I’m around you so really, there’s no change in the status quo.”
“Why thank you,” Lan Sizhui smiles.
“You’ve never asked for night hunts,” Lan Jingyi says conversationally as he watches Lan Sizhui shove an obscene amount of flares meant for signaling for help in his quankun pouch. “You turned them down when our teachers began offering them to us. I didn’t think you were interested in them at all.”
“I never saw a reason to go on night hunts before,” Lan Sizhui replies in an even tone. Lan Jingyi envies how calm Lan Sizhui is about their upcoming night hunt. Anyone else would be shaking out of their skin from nerves, excitement, or a combination of both. Maybe all those signaling flares were his way of showing nervousness? It really is a crazy amount and Lan Sizhui seems to have commandeered the entire sect’s supply. At this point, Lan Jingyi doesn’t question it. Lan Sizhui wouldn’t do things if he didn’t have a reason for it.
“And now you do?”
“Yes.”
“Do I even want to know the reason?”
“No, you do not.”
“Can I at least know if there’s a high chance that we’re gonna die?”
Lan Sizhui turns to him with an offended, hurt glance. “Do you believe that I would lead us to our deaths?”
Yes, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi thinks dismally in the privacy of his own mind. He truly believes that Lan Sizhui would merrily and wholeheartedly lead them to their doom if it served a purpose in the grand master plan Lan Sizhui seemed to have in his head.
“So we’re going to be torn apart limb from limb by demons or evil spirits then,” Lan Jingyi sighs in resignation.
“Oh, most definitely,” answers Lan Sizhui in a cheery voice. At this point, Lan Jingyi doesn’t know if he’s being serious or not. The thought thoroughly sickens him, Lan Jingyi shakes his head fondly and sits up from his bunk.
“I’ll go pack my bags,” Lan Jingyi shuffles in the direction of his dresser.
“Much appreciated,” Lan Sizhui replies drolly.
It is true that night hunts are a sign of prestige in their sect. To be assigned a night hunt is an indication that a junior disciple has cultivated enough to be trusted to handle such an important task. Even being assigned something as mundane as a poltergeist exorcism is considered something worthy of respect from fellow junior disciples. The experience gained from a night hunt can also bring insight into advancing one’s cultivation.
Or at least that’s what they’re meant to do.
Lan Jingyi has no idea what Lan Sizhui’s purpose is and he’s kind of afraid to find out the reason why. Maybe, Lan Sizhui really does want to gain insight into advancing his cultivation. And maybe the world will suddenly burst into sparkles and rainbows and Lan Qiren would spontaneously dance on the streets, Lan Jingyi snorts sardonically. He is nearly a hundred percent sure that shit is going to go down and they’re walking into imminent danger.
--
Lan Sizhui can see Lan Jingyi’s relief and disappointment when they do not get torn limb from limb by evil spirits or demons the moment they set foot in Mo Village. They are, however, swarmed by the members of the Mo Clan fawning over the esteemed Gusu Lan disciples and honestly, that’s even worse in Lan Jingyi’s opinion.
They’re shoved into the head villager’s hall and served tepid refreshments as the matron of the clan weeps about the tragedy that has beset their village and praises her son in equal measures. The Mo Clan is truly insufferable, but Lan Sizhui bears it with polite grace and smiles. He can tell that Lan Jingyi is already at his wits end and if something doesn’t happen soon to interrupt the mother’s tirade then the boy will start throwing fists.
Luckily, the distraction comes in the form of a raving lunatic who bursts into the door with the subtlety of a battering ram. Everyone’s attention is diverted, and Lan Sizhui turns to see who is causing the commotion.
Lan Sizhui draws a sharp inhale of breath.
It’s Mother.
There is no mistaking the near blinding aura that shines from the man who runs around the room, dodging servants with a skill that looks slipshod to an untrained eye. Lan Sizhui nearly has to turn away from how brightly Wei Wuxian shines in his newly given body. When his mother had been a spirit, he had been watered down, a pale facsimile of what he had been in life. Given a new shell, Wei Wuxian shines radiantly enough to rival the sun.
Lan Sizhui needs to fight hard to clamp down the yearning threatening to burst out of his soul. He wants nothing more than to leap out of his seat and cling to his mother like he did when he was young, propriety and four thousand sect rules be damned. He wants to shout out to his mother, tell him everything. Tell him how much Lan Sizhui has missed him. Tell him how much Father has missed him.
But he can’t. Not now. Not when he has finally achieved what he has longed for. Instead, he follows the figure around the room hungrily with his eyes. To his delight, the man’s silver gaze land on him and like a magnet drawn to its north, Wei Wuxian dives towards him and hides behind him.
Sensing the danger, Lan Sizhui is quick to protect him.
Lan Sizhui will always protect his mother from now on.