( Predictable, truly, how Wei Wuxian doesn't stir so much as mumble something about resting as his eyes try to open when Lan Zhan lifts him, a flash of hazy understanding before his eyes slide back close and he goes boneless, trusting. This is only tiredness, not injury, that leaves him so; not stirring out of sleeping state with the recognition of a face, but no conscious decision behind it. He's already sleeping soundly by the time he's set down, long past dreams when his boots are removed and set to the side, and quiet in his slumber up until the time he wakes, groggy and rolling out of bed like a grumbling bear emerging from hibernation.
This, too, is tiredness rather than injury, though the pause and bitten off hiss as he comes to better awakeness is injury, and nothing else. He shakes it off with a look around the room, then to the bed pallet he sits on. He doesn't remember that moment of awareness in the earlier hours of the morning, only sees the evidence of it now.
Can't help the moment his lips pull up, smile unplanned and genuine, self-amused and ah. He knows he fell asleep at the desk. It's what he last remembers.
Stretching his arms overhead, he gives himself a minute before reaching for his boots, tugging them on and unconcerned with having slept in all his robes. It's normal enough, here and there. It's not like he can complain overmuch. )
Did you move me when you woke up?
( He asks Lan Zhan when he sees him, not doubting the truth of it even as he hides the wince of his second boot's return to his foot, jostling the leg that aches now with a morning's aftereffects of the day before. Enough for him to limp as he stands, more soreness than not, and he forces himself to stand steady even as breakfast is brought in by a worker with an overladen tray, setting it down on the table with polite words and a smile to them both, tactical and tactful retreat following. One does not generally care to linger around immortals, be they anything but.
He rubs a hand over his thigh as he walks, not trying to be subtle in massaging around what remains of his injury. Healing takes time. That will always be true, no matter the assistance given. )
And arranged breakfast? Lan Zhan, I'm touched!
( He is, but he has to say it, and sound a little irreverent to cover up the feeling. His eyes brush over the desk, his unfinished and finished talismans, and he looks for the pitcher of water and its paired bowl to wash his face and hands before sitting down to the kindness of someone else arranging when his meals appear. )
Have you heard anything amoung the early risers?
( He asks, finding the water and pouring it out, still subtly stretching that leg and shifting his weight off it again in turns. )
[ He is already readying tea, brewed with what medicinal herbs he had available and a bit more for extra alertness. The two of them likely have a long day ahead of them, and even though Lan Wangji was expecting even without the injury to handle any fighting the two of them would need to engage in, it does them both good for Wei Wuxian to be in the best physical condition manageable under the circumstances.
Though it is not Wei Wuxian's drink of choice, even more so with the additional bitterness, avoiding it is something he will not let the man indulge in this morning, and he passes the cup over as he speaks. ]
More noises. Claims that they were louder last night, but none who said so had heard it more recently than ten days ago otherwise. Descriptions of a suspicious figure loitering in the area of the array. Unclear whether or not it was human; details given were inconclusive, and it fled when approached.
[ From the sound of it, rumors of yesterday's incident had spread quickly through the local populace. Most had hidden when they spotted someone who didn't look right, and one person arriving early in the morning from the neighboring area who tried to approach in ignorance failed to get close enough before the figure ran away. ]
( He accepts the tea, trying not to wrinkle his nose as the scent (as if he can smell the bitterness). His expression smooths out as he goes from that moment where he's clearly considering rejection, then offers a wry smile and holds the tea up with both hands, a quiet salute. Some battles are lost before being fought. Some are won.
This was going to be Lan Zhan's either way. )
Got it, got it. You've been working hard.
( Not that he thinks in this case waiting a few hours for the whole of the world to wake was going to make the difference, but for him, yes, he can admit he's better rested and likewise facing the day less exhausted than he would have otherwise. Some part of that thanks to being moved; the crick he'd have had otherwise is reduced.
It doesn't make the tea go down any smoother, but he does try to gulp it down fast, making a cup of tea disappear like a cup of alcohol. Comedic, considering the way he sets the cup down even mimics how he's drunk at times in the past: a gentle slam of the cup, a sudden gasp for air, and a grin. Done. )
Did they have any buns? We can take those on the road—
( As if the food arranged doesn't arrive right then, carried on tray and aimed for the table he still hasn't sat himself down at. He offers a smile to the worker, who smiles and nods in return, like they shared some kind of secret. In his estimate, likely about how handsome Lan Zhan is. His look turns knowing, and he casts it speculatively toward Lan Zhan.
Ah, yes. Few can resist the handsomeness of the Twin Jades, even when one's a chronic stoneface and the other's currently more depressed and nonvisible than anything else. Progress comes as it comes.
He eats at that point, rubbing at his leg without thinking overmuch. The tea's already doing its work, and as he tries to shove food down rather than taste overmuch of it (hit and miss, if it even has enough of a strong taste to be worth slowing down for, it's a touch bland for him), it's clear his impatience is to be going, tempered only by his acceptance of Lan Zhan's goodwill and not entirely unfounded worries. That's a guilt that lingers: the worry that he's not as sure for this man has started to shake off from a time where he fell, but also... different, he thinks, how the man Lan Zhan knows and how the man he is have met their fates. He doesn't ask. He can remember his well enough to not want to press Lan Zhan for details on something the man he knew better wouldn't breathe a word of anyway. Why expect otherwise? Some silences are only broken from the outside.
Either way, they have a present mystery to handle, and that has his focus in a way the past simply can't. Move forward: live now. Learn from what was, but don't linger in its shadows. It's not in his nature to do that. )
All done! Shall we head out to the place I mentioned last night? Or check to see if we find signs of this suspicious figure fleeing around that area this morning?
[ Lan Wangji watches, gaze steady over his own cup of tea, as Wei Wuxian downs it with theatrics. Though there's no change to the line of his mouth his eyes betray him, subtly sparkling with a fondness stirred up by recognition. Different, yet similar.
His own eating pace is unhurried, but if that means Wei Wuxian consumes more of the food than he does, that is no loss. His own ability to practice inedia far exceeds Wei Wuxian's; if it came to it, he could forego this meal entirely without ill effects. Some dishes he ordered were as strong as were offered, and those he leaves deliberately; yet this place is certainly no match for Wei Wuxian's palette, and shared dishes suit the taste of the one who ordered them. He has made the compromise before of providing his husband with a meal made less healthy for the sake of him being able to consume it, and here with this man who is not quite the same he has provided similar to the best of his ability. If alternatives were present they would likely have been taken, but nourishment is nourishment as long as it can be swallowed and stomached.
He lowers his own chopsticks with the sound of Wei Wuxian diving back into the mystery that they have yet to focus on together. The injury of yesterday and the mismatch of sleep put behind them, it is time to take action together in a way that neither could manage nearly as well alone. ]
Search for signs of the figure. Fresher trails are likely to contain more information.
[ He rises to his feet, gaze once again drifting to the desk that he had found Wei Wuxian asleep at. The talismans remain undisturbed so far, with Lan Wangji making no assumptions which were meant for whom.
Then he's back to looking at Wei Wuxian. If this were his husband Lan Wangji would perhaps indulge the man to indulge himself: sweeping him into his arms to hold him for a few precious moments, allowing the two of them some time together that would also allow Wei Wuxian to save face while avoiding the stress of needing to stand on his own. As it is he has no excuse like that, hesitant to offer so much as a hand to help.
And yet, too many times has he regretted being unable to reach out to this man--or, the man who is like him in so many ways. Even before the union that this one lacks, he had done his utmost for Wei Wuxian; thus he extends a hand, a compromise with himself and circumstances. It is only the two of them present: though one or the other could be considered to lose face with an acceptance or a rejection, it will not go beyond them. ]
( Wei Wuxian complains more for the novelty of having complaints to make than out of deep seated avoidance; he still eats what he must to get by, and while some longings (potatoes, meat, that extra chili oil) are recurring, the regions he moves through having their own cuisines and offerings at hand. He travels light, Lil' Apple more companion than pack animal.
Lan Zhan's assessment mirrors his own thoughts, and he hums and taps his chin in thought, considering concerns that fly out of his head when he glances to Lan Zhan and the offered hand. Accepting hands like those in a sense of fighting battles not choosing to bear the burdens alone took a lifetime of learning; here, something in a liminal space belonging to them in their subtly shifted mirrors of the men they knew, his puzzlement is at first notable. Not because Lan Zhan doesn't extend his hands in other ways, but the man he still expects is not prone to these kinds of gestures, and it takes him a moment to process; a moment that turns into a breathed out huff of amusement, and his hand stretching out to take hold of Lan Zhan's.
Let the grip propel them into motion: Wei Wuxian accepts a hand, and doesn't let go in the aftermath, instead tugging Lan Zhan by the hand toward the desk and their talismans, the unfinished one remaining unfinished.
He tries to use his holding hand to gesture, tugging again on Lan Zhan's hand in an abortive motion before he switches to his free hand, not so much as pausing or showing any flicker of conflict across his face. )
I know you don't need any of these, Lan Zhan, but I've been working on a few things, and it's worth seeing if any of them are working consistently when we're bringing this individual to an accounting. These ones, there, like the one I fell asleep painting ( a brief pause for that, wrinkling his brow, that passes as swiftly as it came on ) are my newest iteration of curse-tracking talismans. It's not perfect, yet, they lose track if it's been more than a a day, but the theory is they trace back along the trail of energy that ties a curse-maker to their curse-target. There's still a large margin for improvement, but I've had it work in at least two cases so far, which is promising!
( Ground under memories of his own castigation in the eyes of a world that believed any evil of him; had such things been possible, had he a way of tracking back Su She before a death (more or less, even if he had not, for reasons unknown, actually died) and sixteen interim years of other people's plottings. )
Those ones under them are more for identifying energies. Secondary since most should be able to figure out a likely cause without needing outside confirmation, but activating any one of them causes them to burn in one of four colours, indicating which energy or energies are detected.
( Things which are a convenience, but not strictly for him. Those, too, are for experimentation, rather than because either one of them needs such a system to know what they face.
[ The prolonged hold has his heart fluttering briefly, and he wonders--again--what the other man named "Lan Wangji" is to this man. He not only trusts in the way that the two of them seem destined to, but also elongates a contact offered as an attempt at chaste moderation. Is it not an indicator of a closeness between them that extends deeper than society would approve? Or had this man also once been pinned to a tree thanks to a moment of passion and impudence, not knowing whose lips pressed his own? It is not his place to ask of such things, to probe into relationships that, regardless of their oddities, are not his own. Let the gesture be all it is.
Yet for all that their clasped hands unsteadied his heart, the words "curse-tracking talismans" unsettle him far more. He listens to the details while barely hearing, his eyes widened just enough to be noticeable with pupils unconsciously dilating as memories and realizations strike in tandem. With it already clear that the paths their lives have taken were out of sync with each other, he had hoped for what was worst to have left this Wei Wuxian untouched--but such a thought was certainly naive. Attempts to track a curse, many years too late... and he himself being only able to listen as rumors spread like poison unleashed into a well. A regret shared by all of them, it seems.
But while the past indeed holds many regrets, there's still opportunity in the present. Lan Wangji does recover himself enough to acknowledge the usefulness of such a tool in the current situation. The other, he also realizes the point behind. It doesn't surprise him to discover the two of them share that fondness for helping train the next generation as they learn and grow, and his hand in Wei Wuxian's grips a hair tighter. ]
Mn.
[ Explanations given and received, Lan Wangji is in no rush to break the contact between them. It is a bit of selfishness, he realizes, but the chance of them missing an opportunity by seconds is little. So while this conversation could continue on their way out the door, it should be no trouble to hold it here, while the two of them are still joined by physical contact for as long as Wei Wuxian will allow it. ]
We will investigate the array in time.
[ Not that they wouldn't have anyway, but with Wei Wuxian going through such effort, he wants to give him the reassurance that it won't be taken for granted. ]
( He sees the widened pupils when he glances back to Lan Zhan, brow furrowing in a faint way, saying nothing direct for the moment when he instead gives a squeeze of hands he belatedly recalls, again, are still being held. Usually this is a wrist gambit, but it's fine like this, he thinks, especially in bridging a gap in expectations they both have for who each other is, mirroring the selves they both know as well as are known by.
Retrospect and reflections means he recalls and knows more of what he's lived through than his other self can. Sometimes it shows. Most the time, no one knows. Perhaps only Lan Zhan could call him out on just how clear his memories are, and that it isn't his other self's trauma or amnesia or even truly forgetful nature that plagues him; he has to choose to forget. He makes that choice many times over, and will in the future.
Why hold on to the pain? )
Outside of tucking these away in a pouch and carrying it all out, nothing. I'm as recovered as I'll ever be.
( His leg feels better, in that it feels worse but is thus feeling worse in the stiffened way of healing and haleness. The more he moves around, the more it'll work out until he's moving without too much memory of the day's aches and pains. They don't really rate to him, so his mind, better fed right now than when left to his more delayed response to the body's necessities, is already far ahead back the ways he's been. )
Of course, shoving everything in a satchel to be ready to head out after takes all of a quarter of an incense stick, it's not like I was arranging laundry last night, so there's nothing to pick up—Lil' Apple will be happy seeing you!
( Notably, Lil' Apple is happy seeing anyone who provides food or is more gentle in their ministrations than Wei Wuxian's rather rough ruffling of manes. It's a Thing, but it's their thing, and the donkey tolerates because the donkey is equally bribed in apples enough to tolerate just about any of Wei Wuxian's sillier antics.
He ends up bringing their joined hands together to pat the top with his other hand, flashing a smile and finally making to let go. Turning into that flurry of practiced actions, sweeping talismans together, tucking them into a roll he slips into their holding pouch, and briskly sweeps through the room gathering his goods from the few places he'd set them, all in what turns out to be a rather natural shape for a man who may be heading out the door fast, or out the window faster (not that he's needed to, but he's aware of his exits, in a way that speaks more to the past than his present). )
Was there anything you needed to get done, Lan Zhan? I'm heading to Lil' Apple, making sure the donkey's eaten just enough to not want to sleep in the stalls any longer if we're moving out—
[ The loss of contact is a bittersweet feeling that Lan Wangji doesn't dwell on. All moments must pass, as is their nature, and there is more to be done in the world than linger in a situation forever. Letting go of his hand means that Wei Wuxian may tend to his belongings, moving about easily despite his injury. Lan Wangji lifts a single pack onto his back, the rest of what he needs already handled in pouches and sleeves, and watches with eyes full of affection as Wei Wuxian moves about the room. ]
Already prepared.
[ It's all he needs to offer in explanation; the breakfast has been paid for and he gathered his belongings when he was moving about earlier while Wei Wuxian was still sleeping. All he needs is for Wei Wuxian to be ready, and then he's out the door and the two of them are heading down towards the outside, refreshed and ready to confront yesterday's mystery.
He's not about to decide whether they both head out on foot or whether Wei Wuxian rides Lil' Apple. Much as he has the tendency to push himself, he still knows better than Lan Wangji the state of his leg, or perhaps he would opt for the mount simply because he wants to. Lan Wangji's own alternative of sword flight is too conspicuous, even more conspicuous than his appearance itself, so it will be reserved until circumstances necessitate it.
Either way they will go visit the donkey first, so he allows Wei Wuxian to lead him to wherever he put the animal up for the previous night. ]
( He laughs, a fast grin and a sort of 'of course' gesture when he sees and understands what it is Lan Zhan means; he is always alike onto himself in these ways, really. Efficient and in motion as soon as he needs, which makes it Wei Wuxian's turn to shake his head and cluck his tongue and shoulder the last of what he needs before heading out the door. He adjusts his pack as he heads down the stairs, stiffer than his normal walk, but loosening up the more he moves, until he seems to be walking entirely normally as they head for the stables.
Seems being key, because the twinges telling him this is not as easy on his body as he wants it to be are ignored as far as visible signs, but it's the moment where in his quick currying of Lil' Apple's coat that he weighs options, until he has the donkey saddled and throws his pack on, settling for walking Lil' Apple out on lead, furiously ruffling the donkey's upright mane in the process.
Walking for now, but bringing along relief without calling it as much. Ignoring injuries doesn't work when your body lacks the resources to truly overcome them in any quick way, and he needs to rely on himself enough not to worry about inopportune collapse.
Meaning they're on their way as he hums under his breath, the seeming airiness of it fading once they're on the road heading to where the suspicious person had been sighted. Lil' Apple's been complacent, trying to follow Lan Zhan over Wei Wuxian, even when Wei Wuxian's holding the leadrope.
That sheer Lan animal magnetism. His lips quirk up at the thought, and he points it out: )
What is this sheer Lan animal magnetism you have? Ah, Lan Zhan, tell me the secret of your ways, you never have to bribe Lil' Apple to follow along.
( Still smiling, he looks along the road, squinting up at the line of trees and boulders lining one side of the road. )
Not too far from here, then. We'd have to take the split path across the bridge that heads up to the higher ridge there to run into the array. Decent foot traffic, but not as busy as this main road, since this one heads into the next larger town instead of the next closest one.
[ He says it with the small hint of the smile that he shows at rare moments. Lan Wangji is not one to tease the animals that Wei Wuxian takes such delight in tugging on or tousling. Though he wouldn't truly call those actions disrespect, it's undeniable that it does not endear the animals which do not approve of affectionate roughhousing.
He takes in the description with keen eyes seeking out the ridge that Wei Wuxian is describing, searching for any details that might seem relevant from their current vantage point. ]
More traffic would provide more energy. The location itself must have been more suitable somehow.
[ Otherwise, it would make more sense to have set up the array on the road they're currently traveling on.
There's most likely a connection between the figure that showed up overnight and the ruckus that Wei Wuxian got caught up in the evening before, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to find an easy route between here and there. Yet he doesn't spot one that seems any simpler than following the road back, even as they approach the location mentioned in the testimony. The spot isn't remarkable save for an old, twisted tree used as a landmark by those providing information, and the faintest hints of resentful energy still remaining. ]
Wei Ying.
[ The connection isn't strong yet, but much more likely now that that figure had some sort of involvement.
Lan Wangji's gaze drifts to that tree. It's less hunch and more an educated guess that inclines him to believe that there's something about it beyond the ordinary. What it is though, he couldn't say just yet. ]
( Energy flows enough like water in its own, less reliable ways, ignoring conceits like gravity in order to land itself where it most wishes to be in any given moment. if the secondary path already was inclined toward more spiritual energy retention than normal areas. Spiritually rich spaces were ones sects favoured for building, but it was hardly as if places couldn't become wellsprings over time, or that those places which were smaller didn't end up attracting too much attention.
He hums to himself, patting Lil' Apple's mane as he considers. That energy Lan Zhan's drawing his attention toward isn't to remarkable degrees, but noticeable ones: anytime there's resentful energies, there's usually a reason. Mobile or attached.
He likewise looks at the twisted tree, then reaches for one of his talismans, activating it with a roll of his wrist and brief injection of qi, sending it off. The paper flies, sparrow without wings that rises toward the tree, and comes up short: bursting into a bright red tinged grey before sketching out the character for break across an invisible surface. the barrier, outermost as it is, shatters under the one command, revealing a hint of a second one that glimmers beyond the disguise of the first, and an increase in the sensation of resentful energies, building.
His expression is serious. )
These aren't old resentments. Lan Zhan?
( He's resting his hand on Lil' Apple's mane again, looking to his companion. Wrongful deaths, unclean terminations. It may be a situation where a certain justice can be delivered in redirection of those energies, but it is as certain some degree will need to be released to peace in the ways they both know, depending.
Someone is not just killing, but collecting. If there's a curse fueling all this, which there may be, or simply a rogue acting under their own decisions, it's giving a new, unfortunate layer to the labyrinthine illusion he'd broken himself and the others out of the day before. )
[ Though their presence on the road was already difficult to ignore for the average passerby thus far, once Lan Wangji pulls out his sword, there's no way for even the most oblivious traveler to pay them no mind. And yet there's no hesitation from him, a man used to doing his work among the common folk, often perhaps completely on his own. Those who flee would likely be better for it: being weak to fear would simply turn them into more appealing targets for anything preying on their yang energy.
He expects little to come of it, but there is value in attempting the simplest solution first: with practiced ease Lan Wangji pushes off the ground and surges forward, thrusting his sword at the critical moment point-first into the second barrier. A rush of energy radiating outwards disperses the force of the impact, leaving the barrier straining slightly but intact under his assault. When there's no telltale give of it beginning to break, he pulls back quickly--and not a moment too soon, a surge of energy reaching out as if trying to pull him in, and shrinking back again when he's fled too far to be caught.
The behavior is enough to catch his notice. ]
It does not pursue. Perhaps bound to the tree. Self-defense or ambush.
[ It fits with what else they know so far. The tree itself seems to have either naturally or unnaturally become some sort of containment vessel, its contents apparently limited by the immobile state of its host. Someone has been setting up their own traps, potentially in order to feed it (or overfeed it) beyond its own abilities. The motive remains unclear, with the intended method of eventual use similarly vague. Also possible is that there isn't a deliberate connection here, both trap maker and tree tapping into the same phenomenon but acting independently. Yet the connection seems worth pursuing: there was a figure spotted in this area very soon after the trap was sprung, and for such a stationary entity, the tree's resentments are indeed recent. ]
Seal it for now if possible. We will investigate other areas first and purify it later. It is likely much less dangerous alone.
[ Neither of them heard mention of it among the rumors except as a landmark, so the chance that it is directly causing trouble is low. Meanwhile the array hasn't been returned to as of yet, and that is unquestionably deadly.
He turns to Wei Wuxian as he sheathes his sword, the question unasked: is this within the realm of his abilities? With the outer barrier breached, they should take at least some action before leaving the tree alone. ]
( He's pulling out sealing talismans, a matched set, even as Lan Zhan is returning to where he stands, lips pursed as he considers the behaviour he witnessed. Half a wreck he is, yes, but not lessened in ability; more it is his stamina shifts to be a normal human's worth of overambitious matched action, depending on if he's burning through his limited qi or not.
Even showing signs of minor injury, he's nowhere near that now, the aches worked out of him in walking into the pleasant burn of a healing, active body. )
Less dangerous when encircled? Ah, unless it strikes out, but—
( He pushes forward, at an angle, one flick of his wrist sending the first seal out, and his dash bringing him around enough that the second seal on release hits the barrier from the opposing side as the first. There are sparks, metaphorically speaking, that fly as the seals hit and the barrier tries to respond, to absorb, to then cast off its instruction, but the painted talismans flare with light and sink in, not shattering the tree's barrier but forcing it still.
Standing where he is, fingers still up from their seal position, he frowns. )
Bolstered. This isn't simply the tree and its energies.
( In the middle distance, the sharp crack of a twig underfoot, and the thuds of two feet pressing down on ground and leaping. )
[ That isn't the sound of a common person's movement.
Lan Wangji immediately weighs his options, and makes a choice: there's no indication yet that there's more than one person responsible, and even if there were, Wei Wuxian is not helpless. Opportunities can be missed with instants of indecision.
There is no need to waste words, to instruct Wei Wuxian whether to remain or follow, or to remind him to stay aware. Any guidance would be unnecessary or discarded, depending on its contents and Wei Wuxian's inclination to do it regardless of instruction from Lan Wangji. All he gives is a quick glance, an acknowledgement his awareness of Wei Wuxian's presence and his deliberate choice to leave him to make his own decisions, before Lan Wangji leaps off in the direction of the noise.
It can often prove difficult to tail a member of the jianghu, even more so a cultivator, but there's enough of a trail for Lan Wangji to follow that he can nimbly leap along in pursuit. Though he doesn't spot anyone among or above the tops of the trees as he finds himself being led upwards along the terrain, there's enough of an occasional sound of footfalls that can't quite be dampened enough to escape his senses, even with this person's lightness skill.
Yet in an instant the situation shifts. Lan Wangji hasn't thrown himself into the chase enough to lose a sense of his immediate surroundings, which is why upon the conclusion of one particular leap, instead of finding his footing on the mountain path, his feet land on Bichen. Immediately below him is the feeling of resentful energy: strong, and recent.
This feels like it may very well be the array that trapped Wei Wuxian, and the lingering energy from that... and yet this is not the sort of work that Lan Wangji specializes in, leading to a much more dangerous possibility he cannot distinguish between: if this is an entirely different location, it might be not just a trap, but an active one. And perhaps he's simply lost the trail with the distraction, but the fact that he lost it here of all places does not inspire any confidence that he wasn't brought to this location deliberately. The person he had been pursuing had a reason to lead the chase here, and that reason was good enough to risk Lan Wangji discovering this spot.
Avoiding contact with the ground, he turns and heads back to rejoin Wei Wuxian. Potential immediate danger must be dealt with before all else. ]
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This, too, is tiredness rather than injury, though the pause and bitten off hiss as he comes to better awakeness is injury, and nothing else. He shakes it off with a look around the room, then to the bed pallet he sits on. He doesn't remember that moment of awareness in the earlier hours of the morning, only sees the evidence of it now.
Can't help the moment his lips pull up, smile unplanned and genuine, self-amused and ah. He knows he fell asleep at the desk. It's what he last remembers.
Stretching his arms overhead, he gives himself a minute before reaching for his boots, tugging them on and unconcerned with having slept in all his robes. It's normal enough, here and there. It's not like he can complain overmuch. )
Did you move me when you woke up?
( He asks Lan Zhan when he sees him, not doubting the truth of it even as he hides the wince of his second boot's return to his foot, jostling the leg that aches now with a morning's aftereffects of the day before. Enough for him to limp as he stands, more soreness than not, and he forces himself to stand steady even as breakfast is brought in by a worker with an overladen tray, setting it down on the table with polite words and a smile to them both, tactical and tactful retreat following. One does not generally care to linger around immortals, be they anything but.
He rubs a hand over his thigh as he walks, not trying to be subtle in massaging around what remains of his injury. Healing takes time. That will always be true, no matter the assistance given. )
And arranged breakfast? Lan Zhan, I'm touched!
( He is, but he has to say it, and sound a little irreverent to cover up the feeling. His eyes brush over the desk, his unfinished and finished talismans, and he looks for the pitcher of water and its paired bowl to wash his face and hands before sitting down to the kindness of someone else arranging when his meals appear. )
Have you heard anything amoung the early risers?
( He asks, finding the water and pouring it out, still subtly stretching that leg and shifting his weight off it again in turns. )
no subject
[ He is already readying tea, brewed with what medicinal herbs he had available and a bit more for extra alertness. The two of them likely have a long day ahead of them, and even though Lan Wangji was expecting even without the injury to handle any fighting the two of them would need to engage in, it does them both good for Wei Wuxian to be in the best physical condition manageable under the circumstances.
Though it is not Wei Wuxian's drink of choice, even more so with the additional bitterness, avoiding it is something he will not let the man indulge in this morning, and he passes the cup over as he speaks. ]
More noises. Claims that they were louder last night, but none who said so had heard it more recently than ten days ago otherwise. Descriptions of a suspicious figure loitering in the area of the array. Unclear whether or not it was human; details given were inconclusive, and it fled when approached.
[ From the sound of it, rumors of yesterday's incident had spread quickly through the local populace. Most had hidden when they spotted someone who didn't look right, and one person arriving early in the morning from the neighboring area who tried to approach in ignorance failed to get close enough before the figure ran away. ]
Drink, and eat.
[ They will both need their strength today. ]
no subject
This was going to be Lan Zhan's either way. )
Got it, got it. You've been working hard.
( Not that he thinks in this case waiting a few hours for the whole of the world to wake was going to make the difference, but for him, yes, he can admit he's better rested and likewise facing the day less exhausted than he would have otherwise. Some part of that thanks to being moved; the crick he'd have had otherwise is reduced.
It doesn't make the tea go down any smoother, but he does try to gulp it down fast, making a cup of tea disappear like a cup of alcohol. Comedic, considering the way he sets the cup down even mimics how he's drunk at times in the past: a gentle slam of the cup, a sudden gasp for air, and a grin. Done. )
Did they have any buns? We can take those on the road—
( As if the food arranged doesn't arrive right then, carried on tray and aimed for the table he still hasn't sat himself down at. He offers a smile to the worker, who smiles and nods in return, like they shared some kind of secret. In his estimate, likely about how handsome Lan Zhan is. His look turns knowing, and he casts it speculatively toward Lan Zhan.
Ah, yes. Few can resist the handsomeness of the Twin Jades, even when one's a chronic stoneface and the other's currently more depressed and nonvisible than anything else. Progress comes as it comes.
He eats at that point, rubbing at his leg without thinking overmuch. The tea's already doing its work, and as he tries to shove food down rather than taste overmuch of it (hit and miss, if it even has enough of a strong taste to be worth slowing down for, it's a touch bland for him), it's clear his impatience is to be going, tempered only by his acceptance of Lan Zhan's goodwill and not entirely unfounded worries. That's a guilt that lingers: the worry that he's not as sure for this man has started to shake off from a time where he fell, but also... different, he thinks, how the man Lan Zhan knows and how the man he is have met their fates. He doesn't ask. He can remember his well enough to not want to press Lan Zhan for details on something the man he knew better wouldn't breathe a word of anyway. Why expect otherwise? Some silences are only broken from the outside.
Either way, they have a present mystery to handle, and that has his focus in a way the past simply can't. Move forward: live now. Learn from what was, but don't linger in its shadows. It's not in his nature to do that. )
All done! Shall we head out to the place I mentioned last night? Or check to see if we find signs of this suspicious figure fleeing around that area this morning?
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His own eating pace is unhurried, but if that means Wei Wuxian consumes more of the food than he does, that is no loss. His own ability to practice inedia far exceeds Wei Wuxian's; if it came to it, he could forego this meal entirely without ill effects. Some dishes he ordered were as strong as were offered, and those he leaves deliberately; yet this place is certainly no match for Wei Wuxian's palette, and shared dishes suit the taste of the one who ordered them. He has made the compromise before of providing his husband with a meal made less healthy for the sake of him being able to consume it, and here with this man who is not quite the same he has provided similar to the best of his ability. If alternatives were present they would likely have been taken, but nourishment is nourishment as long as it can be swallowed and stomached.
He lowers his own chopsticks with the sound of Wei Wuxian diving back into the mystery that they have yet to focus on together. The injury of yesterday and the mismatch of sleep put behind them, it is time to take action together in a way that neither could manage nearly as well alone. ]
Search for signs of the figure. Fresher trails are likely to contain more information.
[ He rises to his feet, gaze once again drifting to the desk that he had found Wei Wuxian asleep at. The talismans remain undisturbed so far, with Lan Wangji making no assumptions which were meant for whom.
Then he's back to looking at Wei Wuxian. If this were his husband Lan Wangji would perhaps indulge the man to indulge himself: sweeping him into his arms to hold him for a few precious moments, allowing the two of them some time together that would also allow Wei Wuxian to save face while avoiding the stress of needing to stand on his own. As it is he has no excuse like that, hesitant to offer so much as a hand to help.
And yet, too many times has he regretted being unable to reach out to this man--or, the man who is like him in so many ways. Even before the union that this one lacks, he had done his utmost for Wei Wuxian; thus he extends a hand, a compromise with himself and circumstances. It is only the two of them present: though one or the other could be considered to lose face with an acceptance or a rejection, it will not go beyond them. ]
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Lan Zhan's assessment mirrors his own thoughts, and he hums and taps his chin in thought, considering concerns that fly out of his head when he glances to Lan Zhan and the offered hand. Accepting hands like those in a sense of fighting battles not choosing to bear the burdens alone took a lifetime of learning; here, something in a liminal space belonging to them in their subtly shifted mirrors of the men they knew, his puzzlement is at first notable. Not because Lan Zhan doesn't extend his hands in other ways, but the man he still expects is not prone to these kinds of gestures, and it takes him a moment to process; a moment that turns into a breathed out huff of amusement, and his hand stretching out to take hold of Lan Zhan's.
Let the grip propel them into motion: Wei Wuxian accepts a hand, and doesn't let go in the aftermath, instead tugging Lan Zhan by the hand toward the desk and their talismans, the unfinished one remaining unfinished.
He tries to use his holding hand to gesture, tugging again on Lan Zhan's hand in an abortive motion before he switches to his free hand, not so much as pausing or showing any flicker of conflict across his face. )
I know you don't need any of these, Lan Zhan, but I've been working on a few things, and it's worth seeing if any of them are working consistently when we're bringing this individual to an accounting. These ones, there, like the one I fell asleep painting ( a brief pause for that, wrinkling his brow, that passes as swiftly as it came on ) are my newest iteration of curse-tracking talismans. It's not perfect, yet, they lose track if it's been more than a a day, but the theory is they trace back along the trail of energy that ties a curse-maker to their curse-target. There's still a large margin for improvement, but I've had it work in at least two cases so far, which is promising!
( Ground under memories of his own castigation in the eyes of a world that believed any evil of him; had such things been possible, had he a way of tracking back Su She before a death (more or less, even if he had not, for reasons unknown, actually died) and sixteen interim years of other people's plottings. )
Those ones under them are more for identifying energies. Secondary since most should be able to figure out a likely cause without needing outside confirmation, but activating any one of them causes them to burn in one of four colours, indicating which energy or energies are detected.
( Things which are a convenience, but not strictly for him. Those, too, are for experimentation, rather than because either one of them needs such a system to know what they face.
(The juniors. He's thinking of the juniors.) )
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Yet for all that their clasped hands unsteadied his heart, the words "curse-tracking talismans" unsettle him far more. He listens to the details while barely hearing, his eyes widened just enough to be noticeable with pupils unconsciously dilating as memories and realizations strike in tandem. With it already clear that the paths their lives have taken were out of sync with each other, he had hoped for what was worst to have left this Wei Wuxian untouched--but such a thought was certainly naive. Attempts to track a curse, many years too late... and he himself being only able to listen as rumors spread like poison unleashed into a well. A regret shared by all of them, it seems.
But while the past indeed holds many regrets, there's still opportunity in the present. Lan Wangji does recover himself enough to acknowledge the usefulness of such a tool in the current situation. The other, he also realizes the point behind. It doesn't surprise him to discover the two of them share that fondness for helping train the next generation as they learn and grow, and his hand in Wei Wuxian's grips a hair tighter. ]
Mn.
[ Explanations given and received, Lan Wangji is in no rush to break the contact between them. It is a bit of selfishness, he realizes, but the chance of them missing an opportunity by seconds is little. So while this conversation could continue on their way out the door, it should be no trouble to hold it here, while the two of them are still joined by physical contact for as long as Wei Wuxian will allow it. ]
We will investigate the array in time.
[ Not that they wouldn't have anyway, but with Wei Wuxian going through such effort, he wants to give him the reassurance that it won't be taken for granted. ]
What other preparations will you need?
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Retrospect and reflections means he recalls and knows more of what he's lived through than his other self can. Sometimes it shows. Most the time, no one knows. Perhaps only Lan Zhan could call him out on just how clear his memories are, and that it isn't his other self's trauma or amnesia or even truly forgetful nature that plagues him; he has to choose to forget. He makes that choice many times over, and will in the future.
Why hold on to the pain? )
Outside of tucking these away in a pouch and carrying it all out, nothing. I'm as recovered as I'll ever be.
( His leg feels better, in that it feels worse but is thus feeling worse in the stiffened way of healing and haleness. The more he moves around, the more it'll work out until he's moving without too much memory of the day's aches and pains. They don't really rate to him, so his mind, better fed right now than when left to his more delayed response to the body's necessities, is already far ahead back the ways he's been. )
Of course, shoving everything in a satchel to be ready to head out after takes all of a quarter of an incense stick, it's not like I was arranging laundry last night, so there's nothing to pick up—Lil' Apple will be happy seeing you!
( Notably, Lil' Apple is happy seeing anyone who provides food or is more gentle in their ministrations than Wei Wuxian's rather rough ruffling of manes. It's a Thing, but it's their thing, and the donkey tolerates because the donkey is equally bribed in apples enough to tolerate just about any of Wei Wuxian's sillier antics.
He ends up bringing their joined hands together to pat the top with his other hand, flashing a smile and finally making to let go. Turning into that flurry of practiced actions, sweeping talismans together, tucking them into a roll he slips into their holding pouch, and briskly sweeps through the room gathering his goods from the few places he'd set them, all in what turns out to be a rather natural shape for a man who may be heading out the door fast, or out the window faster (not that he's needed to, but he's aware of his exits, in a way that speaks more to the past than his present). )
Was there anything you needed to get done, Lan Zhan? I'm heading to Lil' Apple, making sure the donkey's eaten just enough to not want to sleep in the stalls any longer if we're moving out—
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Already prepared.
[ It's all he needs to offer in explanation; the breakfast has been paid for and he gathered his belongings when he was moving about earlier while Wei Wuxian was still sleeping. All he needs is for Wei Wuxian to be ready, and then he's out the door and the two of them are heading down towards the outside, refreshed and ready to confront yesterday's mystery.
He's not about to decide whether they both head out on foot or whether Wei Wuxian rides Lil' Apple. Much as he has the tendency to push himself, he still knows better than Lan Wangji the state of his leg, or perhaps he would opt for the mount simply because he wants to. Lan Wangji's own alternative of sword flight is too conspicuous, even more conspicuous than his appearance itself, so it will be reserved until circumstances necessitate it.
Either way they will go visit the donkey first, so he allows Wei Wuxian to lead him to wherever he put the animal up for the previous night. ]
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Seems being key, because the twinges telling him this is not as easy on his body as he wants it to be are ignored as far as visible signs, but it's the moment where in his quick currying of Lil' Apple's coat that he weighs options, until he has the donkey saddled and throws his pack on, settling for walking Lil' Apple out on lead, furiously ruffling the donkey's upright mane in the process.
Walking for now, but bringing along relief without calling it as much. Ignoring injuries doesn't work when your body lacks the resources to truly overcome them in any quick way, and he needs to rely on himself enough not to worry about inopportune collapse.
Meaning they're on their way as he hums under his breath, the seeming airiness of it fading once they're on the road heading to where the suspicious person had been sighted. Lil' Apple's been complacent, trying to follow Lan Zhan over Wei Wuxian, even when Wei Wuxian's holding the leadrope.
That sheer Lan animal magnetism. His lips quirk up at the thought, and he points it out: )
What is this sheer Lan animal magnetism you have? Ah, Lan Zhan, tell me the secret of your ways, you never have to bribe Lil' Apple to follow along.
( Still smiling, he looks along the road, squinting up at the line of trees and boulders lining one side of the road. )
Not too far from here, then. We'd have to take the split path across the bridge that heads up to the higher ridge there to run into the array. Decent foot traffic, but not as busy as this main road, since this one heads into the next larger town instead of the next closest one.
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[ He says it with the small hint of the smile that he shows at rare moments. Lan Wangji is not one to tease the animals that Wei Wuxian takes such delight in tugging on or tousling. Though he wouldn't truly call those actions disrespect, it's undeniable that it does not endear the animals which do not approve of affectionate roughhousing.
He takes in the description with keen eyes seeking out the ridge that Wei Wuxian is describing, searching for any details that might seem relevant from their current vantage point. ]
More traffic would provide more energy. The location itself must have been more suitable somehow.
[ Otherwise, it would make more sense to have set up the array on the road they're currently traveling on.
There's most likely a connection between the figure that showed up overnight and the ruckus that Wei Wuxian got caught up in the evening before, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to find an easy route between here and there. Yet he doesn't spot one that seems any simpler than following the road back, even as they approach the location mentioned in the testimony. The spot isn't remarkable save for an old, twisted tree used as a landmark by those providing information, and the faintest hints of resentful energy still remaining. ]
Wei Ying.
[ The connection isn't strong yet, but much more likely now that that figure had some sort of involvement.
Lan Wangji's gaze drifts to that tree. It's less hunch and more an educated guess that inclines him to believe that there's something about it beyond the ordinary. What it is though, he couldn't say just yet. ]
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( Energy flows enough like water in its own, less reliable ways, ignoring conceits like gravity in order to land itself where it most wishes to be in any given moment. if the secondary path already was inclined toward more spiritual energy retention than normal areas. Spiritually rich spaces were ones sects favoured for building, but it was hardly as if places couldn't become wellsprings over time, or that those places which were smaller didn't end up attracting too much attention.
He hums to himself, patting Lil' Apple's mane as he considers. That energy Lan Zhan's drawing his attention toward isn't to remarkable degrees, but noticeable ones: anytime there's resentful energies, there's usually a reason. Mobile or attached.
He likewise looks at the twisted tree, then reaches for one of his talismans, activating it with a roll of his wrist and brief injection of qi, sending it off. The paper flies, sparrow without wings that rises toward the tree, and comes up short: bursting into a bright red tinged grey before sketching out the character for break across an invisible surface. the barrier, outermost as it is, shatters under the one command, revealing a hint of a second one that glimmers beyond the disguise of the first, and an increase in the sensation of resentful energies, building.
His expression is serious. )
These aren't old resentments. Lan Zhan?
( He's resting his hand on Lil' Apple's mane again, looking to his companion. Wrongful deaths, unclean terminations. It may be a situation where a certain justice can be delivered in redirection of those energies, but it is as certain some degree will need to be released to peace in the ways they both know, depending.
Someone is not just killing, but collecting. If there's a curse fueling all this, which there may be, or simply a rogue acting under their own decisions, it's giving a new, unfortunate layer to the labyrinthine illusion he'd broken himself and the others out of the day before. )
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[ Though their presence on the road was already difficult to ignore for the average passerby thus far, once Lan Wangji pulls out his sword, there's no way for even the most oblivious traveler to pay them no mind. And yet there's no hesitation from him, a man used to doing his work among the common folk, often perhaps completely on his own. Those who flee would likely be better for it: being weak to fear would simply turn them into more appealing targets for anything preying on their yang energy.
He expects little to come of it, but there is value in attempting the simplest solution first: with practiced ease Lan Wangji pushes off the ground and surges forward, thrusting his sword at the critical moment point-first into the second barrier. A rush of energy radiating outwards disperses the force of the impact, leaving the barrier straining slightly but intact under his assault. When there's no telltale give of it beginning to break, he pulls back quickly--and not a moment too soon, a surge of energy reaching out as if trying to pull him in, and shrinking back again when he's fled too far to be caught.
The behavior is enough to catch his notice. ]
It does not pursue. Perhaps bound to the tree. Self-defense or ambush.
[ It fits with what else they know so far. The tree itself seems to have either naturally or unnaturally become some sort of containment vessel, its contents apparently limited by the immobile state of its host. Someone has been setting up their own traps, potentially in order to feed it (or overfeed it) beyond its own abilities. The motive remains unclear, with the intended method of eventual use similarly vague. Also possible is that there isn't a deliberate connection here, both trap maker and tree tapping into the same phenomenon but acting independently. Yet the connection seems worth pursuing: there was a figure spotted in this area very soon after the trap was sprung, and for such a stationary entity, the tree's resentments are indeed recent. ]
Seal it for now if possible. We will investigate other areas first and purify it later. It is likely much less dangerous alone.
[ Neither of them heard mention of it among the rumors except as a landmark, so the chance that it is directly causing trouble is low. Meanwhile the array hasn't been returned to as of yet, and that is unquestionably deadly.
He turns to Wei Wuxian as he sheathes his sword, the question unasked: is this within the realm of his abilities? With the outer barrier breached, they should take at least some action before leaving the tree alone. ]
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Even showing signs of minor injury, he's nowhere near that now, the aches worked out of him in walking into the pleasant burn of a healing, active body. )
Less dangerous when encircled? Ah, unless it strikes out, but—
( He pushes forward, at an angle, one flick of his wrist sending the first seal out, and his dash bringing him around enough that the second seal on release hits the barrier from the opposing side as the first. There are sparks, metaphorically speaking, that fly as the seals hit and the barrier tries to respond, to absorb, to then cast off its instruction, but the painted talismans flare with light and sink in, not shattering the tree's barrier but forcing it still.
Standing where he is, fingers still up from their seal position, he frowns. )
Bolstered. This isn't simply the tree and its energies.
( In the middle distance, the sharp crack of a twig underfoot, and the thuds of two feet pressing down on ground and leaping. )
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Lan Wangji immediately weighs his options, and makes a choice: there's no indication yet that there's more than one person responsible, and even if there were, Wei Wuxian is not helpless. Opportunities can be missed with instants of indecision.
There is no need to waste words, to instruct Wei Wuxian whether to remain or follow, or to remind him to stay aware. Any guidance would be unnecessary or discarded, depending on its contents and Wei Wuxian's inclination to do it regardless of instruction from Lan Wangji. All he gives is a quick glance, an acknowledgement his awareness of Wei Wuxian's presence and his deliberate choice to leave him to make his own decisions, before Lan Wangji leaps off in the direction of the noise.
It can often prove difficult to tail a member of the jianghu, even more so a cultivator, but there's enough of a trail for Lan Wangji to follow that he can nimbly leap along in pursuit. Though he doesn't spot anyone among or above the tops of the trees as he finds himself being led upwards along the terrain, there's enough of an occasional sound of footfalls that can't quite be dampened enough to escape his senses, even with this person's lightness skill.
Yet in an instant the situation shifts. Lan Wangji hasn't thrown himself into the chase enough to lose a sense of his immediate surroundings, which is why upon the conclusion of one particular leap, instead of finding his footing on the mountain path, his feet land on Bichen. Immediately below him is the feeling of resentful energy: strong, and recent.
This feels like it may very well be the array that trapped Wei Wuxian, and the lingering energy from that... and yet this is not the sort of work that Lan Wangji specializes in, leading to a much more dangerous possibility he cannot distinguish between: if this is an entirely different location, it might be not just a trap, but an active one. And perhaps he's simply lost the trail with the distraction, but the fact that he lost it here of all places does not inspire any confidence that he wasn't brought to this location deliberately. The person he had been pursuing had a reason to lead the chase here, and that reason was good enough to risk Lan Wangji discovering this spot.
Avoiding contact with the ground, he turns and heads back to rejoin Wei Wuxian. Potential immediate danger must be dealt with before all else. ]