Chapter Text
~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ The Heiyu’s Shenhong Lianhua ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~
It was hot and sticky. He knows he was thirsty but he cannot move. But he is moving, a rocking motion. He moans and suddenly cool water is pressed to his lips, and he drinks it. He is still rocking, the motion too jarring to be relaxing. Why was he hot and sticky? Why was he so thirsty? What was with the rocking? He hears a low voice and he sighs…
Next thing he knows he is being pinned down by Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu, and he tries to fight them, kick them away. Anything.
“We will ruin not only you, Wei Wuxian, but that bastard growing in you!” They taunt and jeer. They claw into him and suddenly he is being held before an angry mob.
“Kill the Wen Bastard!! Kill the Wen Bastard!!”
“You should have culled the brat like I said, Wei Wuxian, now I have to cut it out of you...” Growls Sect Leader Jiang.
He tries to stop them, tries to scream, but in a flash his baby is cut from him and tossed into a bonfire and the next he is falling into a horde of fierce corpses, who all look like Wen Chao and his goons. He is torn apart, screaming for help…
Wei Ying bolts awake, one hand flying to his stomach, which no longer had the comforting weight of a baby in it, before he turned to see Wei Yuan in his little cot, beside his bed, sleeping peacefully around his favorite toy.
It is the same dream, though the beginning is always different, feels different. But he shakes off his thoughts. Wei Ying will admit only to Jiang Yanli that he is partly traumatized about sex because the first and only time he had it was during a forced Heat, and he cannot fully claim rape if biologically he craved sex. His sweet Shijie told him that perhaps his mind remembered something very important at the time and perhaps the strange dream or nightmare was its way of trying to tell him what he was missing.
Wei Ying wasn’t too sure, but he had to admit that it was the closest answer he could get to the mystery of who sired Wei Yuan. Sighing, he stands to wash his face...
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The day was beautiful: the sun shone brightly, the breeze was pleasantly cool and the rich smells of mid spring filled the air. The sky held the odd fat white cloud and birds sang as they floated by on the wind. The usual hustle and bustle of Lotus Pier created a calming din, even in the distance. Wei Ying liked the quiet peaceful days, how strange it was when compared to only a handful of years ago when he was itching for adventure, fun and anything that wasn't a quiet, peaceful life. Back then peaceful meant doing as told, being obedient and just being quite frankly boring. But that was before he became a mother. He had only been 16, almost 17 at the time his life suddenly done a 180, and then he was almost 18 when he had his sweet baby boy, Wei Yuan.
Today had started off as usual, he woke at 5am (if only Laoshi could see this, he might pass away from the shock of his most hated student behaving like a proper Lan disciple), he washed his face, combed his hair and tied a simple bow into his half up hairstyle (Yiling Patriarch hairstyle).
He checked his sweet, a'Yuan, who was curled around the bunny doll Wei Ying made for him, still sound asleep. Smiling, he kissed a baby fat cheek and left their small pavilion. He no longer lived in the main house, instead living in a pavilion that had been built in the middle of the private lake sized pond behind Lotus Pier, walled off so no one but the Jiang Family could access it. It was now his prison on most days, and his sanctuary the rest. He walked over the wooden bridge to the field surrounding his home and began doing light warm-ups, once that was done he went to harvest some of the lettuce that was ready, fed his little gaggle of pheasants, and weeded his garden. By the time the sun was half over the horizon his morning chores were done, and he headed inside to prepare breakfast for himself and his son.
Since he was forbidden from training and hunting of any kind, especially Night Hunting, he had time to learn to cook. Jiang Yanli had praised his efforts and told him he was improving(which was Shijie speak for his food was no longer possibly being lethally spicy). While he will never give up his love for spicy foods, he knows how to cook most things now, especially because a'Yuan was still too young to really eat anything too fancy or chewy. So he stuck with simple dishes like congee, soups and anything he can mash easily for his son to eat without risking choking or hurting himself. He made scrambled eggs, rice porridge, and flatbread this morning. Simple and fun to play with before he went to get a'Yuan up. His sweet little boy blinked up at him with eyes so like his own, but sometimes he saw--
“Are you hungry, Little Bunny?” Wei Ying asks softly, kissing his son’s brow while grabbing the child-friendly comb to begin fixing the growing ink black locks, so much darker than his own black hair. Wei Ying's leaned a bit more toward brown than black though. As he works, he smiles seeing the birthmark hidden in his son's hair that looks like a baby radish.
“Mm-hm!” Is the enthusiastic hum. “A'Niang bestest!”
Wei Ying finishes picking up his hair into a simple little ponytail not dissimilar to the one he used to wear. He keeps his own hair down to hide the fading Mate Claim on his neck, his mark of shame. Shaking away the negative thoughts that keep hounding him, Wei Ying picks up his son and carries him to their small breakfast nook and sets his son up. He lets his son try to feed himself, watching him slowly getting better with practice. A'Yuan still babbles every now and again, but he is learning to talk faster than most children because Wei Ying just cannot live in complete silence.
After they eat, they wash the plates, a'Yuan is given a small pail where he washes his own bowl and plate, both made of wood because Wei Ying is a paranoid mother and does not want his son getting hurt if he accidentally drops his dishes. Even his cup is made of wood, like his spoon and the pronged utensil used to spear the few pieces of meat he is allowed to eat. Once he is bigger and has better motor skills, Wei Ying will teach him to use chopsticks, but for now he keeps things simple for a'Yuan to feel like he is a big boy.
Once they are done with the clean-up, they get dressed for the day and set to work cleaning the Pavilion since Jaing Ch-- Sect Leader Jiang refuses to 'waste the help on an ungrateful bitch and his bastard.' He says that and yet built this place for him, it is far too nice for someone who has been disgraced, but Wei Ying will not look a Basilisk in the eye. It takes the rest of the morning to clean up the Pavilion, mostly because Wei Ying has to clean up after his darling son's attempts to help. They break for a lunch of some yummy chicken dumpling soup that one of the servants brought over. It was nice to know that not everyone who works within the main house of Lotus Pier agrees with how Wei Ying is being treated. Yes, they do not approve of an Omega having a child out of wedlock, or at least having a bonding pair to claim both him and his son, but they also do not like seeing such a bright, loving Omega with his talents and intellect being treated like the shamed mistress of an unfaithful master.
Once they have finished their soup and dumplings, Wei Ying cleans up those dishes and then grabs the lettuce heads he had been soaking in the cool water of the pond all morning to wash away any insects who might have made a home of his vegetables. He peels the leaves into a big basket and smiles at his child, who was going over his letters and numbers at his a'Niang's bequest.
“A'Yuan, it's time to feed Xianxian and Jiji as well as their friends.” He calls and gets a happy cheer from the little boy. Getting their shoes on, Wei Ying picks up the basket and his son because he does not want to risk a'Yuan falling into the water, even if Wei Ying taught him from infancy how to float and later paddle about the water. It was a Yunmeng Jiang trait, since they were surrounded by large bodies of water: rivers, lakes, ponds and springs, both cold and hot ones, everyone needed to learn how to swim. Far too many accidental drownings made it a necessary skill for all, no matter their station or living situation. It was also why the Yunmeng Jiang Sect were the experts on anything water based.
Shaking his head, he walked over the bridge and towards where he built a lovely pen and shelter for their little horde of bunnies. Xianxian and Jiji were special because they were the twins of the pair of rabbits he found and raised before gifting them to--
Anyway, they were special because they were Spiritual Animals. They could use Spiritual energy and Resentful energy to fight, to cast spells and just generally be amazing, but cute companions. The rest of the horde were normal rabbits that he was training to be Spiritual Animals too. Setting his son down in the middle of the field where they were quickly surrounded by eager, hungry little balls of cute and fluff. Wei Ying hands a'Yuan a few lettuce leaves to start feeding the smaller bunnies while he tends to the older ones. It wasn't long before his sweet little boy was playing with the bunnies, running around and giggling. Has it really been almost five years since he gave birth to him? Where does all that time fly? Wei Ying watches the child at play for a moment, an indulgent smile on his lips before he gets back to feeding their horde. Wei Yuan's bright laughter and delighted shrieks were the only happiness Wei Ying felt these days.
Ever since the Qishan Wen Sect began attacking and destroying the other Sects, both big and small, during their Rising Sun campaign and the hell he suffered at their 'training' camp which led to the Sunshot campaign. Things have never been the same after it was won and not by the banding together of the other Sects, but rather by one man alone. It would seem that while the rest of them had been scrambling around trying to gather their strength to rescue loved ones, and their disciples, this mysterious outsider came riding in like a sudden thunderstorm. He did what a large army could not and in the aftermath, when the dust had settled, everything for Wei Ying went rather pear-shaped.
As much as he would rather not, Wei Ying remembers Wen Chao had been ready to take advantage of the heat that he and his trusted guard, Wen Zhuliu, had forced on him after he had been outed by a spineless Alpha, who was more like Beta with an major attitude problem, back during training camp. He doesn't remember a lot of what happened during those months, most of his memories were erased due to illness and stress, and the forced heat also didn't help.
All he knew was that one moment Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu were pinning him down, and then he woke up in the recovery hall of Lotus Pier with Jiang Ch- Sect Leader Jiang glaring at him. The echoes of the sounds of pounding hammers as the rebuilding of Lotus Pier was underway, made his skull pulse and the added pain made it hard for him to try quelling the urge to vomit. He eventually lost that battle and rolled over onto his side to throw up into the chamber pot by the bed. The newly minted Sect Leader didn't even try to help him.
It was one of the warning signs that something wasn't right. Once he was able to take a breath without purging his stomach, he tried to think of what could have happened since his recapture by the Wens after the Tortoise of Slaughter's cave. He had been too sick with preheat back then, and the stress caused a fever spell, which left him too weak to remember much. He knows he was with HIM, remembers HIS touch and voice... Or were those the delusions of a feverish preheat dream? When his efforts produced nothing but faint impressions that were too vague to recall, he finally asked the angry thundercloud what had happened. As expected, when he asked for a drizzle, he got a typhoon instead.
Jiang Wanyin did not hold back, berating Wei Ying for his habit of getting into trouble. It was not the first time, but there was a new venom coating his words now. Wei Ying didn’t actively look for trouble and, when he did he was usually able to get out of it with no one none the wiser. Those accusations hardly bothered him anymore.
But what Jiang Wanyin said next totally shocked him. The accusation that he was Wen Chao’s whore, and carrying the Wen-dog’s bastard, left Wei Ying cold inside. That last bit made him bolt upright, one hand going to his belly, the other to his head as he tried to steady it when the world threatened to flip upside-down. If he didn’t know how gravity worked, he would have panicked about falling onto the ceiling. Jiang Wanyin was still berating him, yelling, or at least he seemed to be because slowly the noise, not just his voice, but the pounding and sawing noises of reconstruction, faded out.
It was like going deaf, or when he would let himself sink into the waters of Yunmeng and float in the muted silence. Only his slowly increasing breathing and his heartbeat could be heard, sharp and roaring in his ears. He can see Jiang Wanyin’s mouth moving, but hears nothing, can’t even read his lips. Surely he had heard him wrong. He had to have been mistaken. But what he implicated echoed in his head.
Pregnant!? He was pregnant!? Someone had impregnated him!? No!! No, no, no, no!! It was supposed to be--
Unable to remain still a moment longer, he flung himself out of bed, only to stagger under the weight of his distress. Jiang Wanyin caught him out of reflex, but before he could shove him away, Wei Ying ran to the polished silver mirror not too far away. He pulled his robes open and felt the bile rush up into his throat, his stomach roiled against the horror. Looking down, he sees that his normally small breasts, which everyone mistook for a small amount of muscle, had swelled up more from the Alpha cum and saliva that must have adorned them at one point. They were still sporting kiss bites. Alphas could stimulate the hormones in an Omega to make their breasts bigger, swelling with fat and milk to make them grow into full breasts for the future pup(s) to nurse from. He checked himself compulsively, looking for a Mating Bite; anything to tell him if he was ruined.
The bites and bruises all over his front were clearly made during sex. They were tender but, oddly enough, not painful. It was as if whoever impregnated him… made love to him. No! Don’t think that!!
With mounting anxiety and trepidation, Wei Ying realized he could not see his back well enough. There was no choice but to ask the snarling cat with the whip for help. Which meant enduring more yelling, though that was hardly new for their relationship. Turning his head to ask Jiang Wanyin if he had been bitten, he caught sight of it from the corner of his eye: the purplish red mark. It was half hidden under his hair, almost behind his neck; a very intimate spot asit showed a great deal of trust to bear one’s neck.
With shaking hands, he carefully pulled his hair over one shoulder, exposing the massive bite. The Alpha had to be big, and had an impressive set of fangs, judging by the marks alone. It was red and raw, only deep enough to be a claim. He was not fully bonded yet, thank the gods. With enough time, the mark would fade and the claim the Alpha held over him would fade away as well. If it had been a Mating Bite, a symbol would have appeared on his brow in the shape of a flower. It was a declaration to all that he was mated. The bite itself would also be much darker and, no matter how much time would pass, it would never fade away. It would always look fresh, but nicely healed over. Normally, this was a happy occasion, one to be celebrated. Normally, the Omega is willing and in love. Normally, the Omega remembered who gave it to them.
Wei Ying doesn’t .
Wei Ying cannot recall, and he isn’t sure if he wants to…
Suddenly, the whole world fell out from under him, and he collapsed . He could only stare at the mark reflected back at him, hoping and praying it was a horrible joke; a nightmare.
But it wasn't.
He had been claimed and left pregnant.
He could tell by the growth of his breasts, and the way his already effeminate face had become more androgynous. He was certain that from now on, no one would mistake the slight fragrance of Omega that clung to him as the results of 'sampling the dish' but purely him.
Oh dear Gods, everyone would know he was an Omega, and he was pregnant!
This was a nightmare; the likely father was either Wen Chao or Wen Zhuliu. Then again, it could be some other Alpha that might have come to have fun with Wei Ying in the mating frenzy caused by the forced heat. There was no way he could ever know who was responsible for taking his virtue and getting him into that condition.
He was unmarried and pregnant with the child of one of their enemies, or rather unlikely, an ally. If it had been the latter, he’s certain they would have been here at his side when he woke up. Wei Ying could wish and pray, though he knew the likelihood is very slim. Wei Ying, as an Omega, knew that no matter what happened from now on, his reputation was beyond saving and that he would be ridiculed for the rest of his life. His baby would be viewed as the bastard of a whore. His child would be teased and bullied, assuming he could carry to term with the crushing weight he was under. He would have to ask Shijie--
“You will get back into that bed before I break your legs and you will drink this tea.” Jiang Wanyin's voice had been like Zidian cracking against his back the times Madam Yu beat him for any infraction or just because she felt like it.
“Wh- what?” He blinked and looked at the Jiang Sect Leader, really looked at him.
It was no secret in Yunmeng, not after Wei Ying had presented as an Omega, that Madame Yu would’ve called him to pay back the life debt he owed them for taking him in and raising him. He knew what she would ask, considering that her intentions were obvious, and he would have little choice in the matter. So he and Jiang Wanyin had been subtly courting ever since. Once, they had been close. However, towering over him was not his brother in arms, his best friend growing up. No, the furious Alpha, as dark and ominous as a typhoon thundercloud about to break and unleash the awesome might of its fury, was none of those things. He could see it in the dark violet eyes, colder than ice, dark with hatred. Merciless. No, this was the Jiang Sect Leader, the Sandu Shengshou, and he was deeply offended. Offended that his bride to be had been sullied and now carried the bastard of another.
“You will do as I say, Wei Wuxian. Get in bed and drink the tea.”
He had used the Alpha's Command on him. A unique skill that Alphas have that, when used makes the listener, especially Omegas, do as they say without fail. Omegas have a Cry, they can use it to call for help, or at least short out an Alpha’s mind long enough to get away from the Alpha intent on hurting them. At that moment, it was a battle of wills. Wei Ying’s verses Jiang Wanyin’s. However, when Jiang Wanyin used the Command again, he was unable to refuse and far too tired to fight. So Wei Ying shakily crawled to the bed, unable to get up properly. He had just sat fully when a mug of questionable looking tea was thrust into his face, the scent coiling and far too sweet smelling. It raised alarms in his head.
“What is it?” He asked, but when it was shoved into his hands, he demanded in a firmer tone. “What is it, Sect Leader?”
“.... It is a tea to cull pregnancies. You will drink it and you will kill off that Wen bastard growing in your womb. Maybe someone will take pity and marry your worthless ass, but I will not sully myself with you.” Jiang Wanyin spits out.
Wei Ying gasped, silver eyes wide, face pale for a whole new reason. Then it turned red as his eyes flashed Omega violet and black wisps of Yin energy began to spill off him. Jiang Wanyin bought into his mother's hateful words, her poison, Wei Ying had known that. The new Sect leader had always been jealous because things came to Wei Ying more naturally than him. It didn’t help the tension between them when no matter how much he practiced, studied and trained, Jiang Chen-- Jaing Wan- Jiang was always overshadowed by Wei Ying. Jiang Fengmian always seemed to favor the adopted son over his own flesh and blood, always praising everything Wei Ying did, while telling him he needed to work harder, to be better. Jiang Wanyin had to struggle to get to where he was and in the end it never seemed to be enough. Despite what Jiang thought, Wei Ying was just as hardworking and dedicated, he just had the advantage of not inheriting Madame Yu’s temperament. So no, hearing him call him worthless, that Wei Ying was now sullied, did not bother him.
No....
It was the fact Sect Leader Jiang ordered him to cull his baby that burned him up inside. His vision tunnelled out to only a pinprick of light surrounded by darkness. Again his breathing had picked up in speed as his heart beat unbearably fast. However, it was not pumping blood, it was pumping ice, bitingly frigid and dreadful to every inch of him.
He was frozen in dread and shock, free hand moving to touch his stomach, his baby.
‘A tea to cull the pregnancy.’ He thought distantly , the words not fully sinking in, ‘He wants me to cull my baby…’
Something inside him finally snapped.
Wei Ying threw the tea right into his face, stood up, and punched him so hard he went flying out of the Recovery Hall, with the added help of both Yin and Yang energy. After that, he had been confined to the rooms that had once been his while the Diuren de Fangjian (Room of the Shamed One) was being built. It was made to be an insult; the manor or palace of a shamed mistress. It took until he gave birth to Wei Yuan, a healthy little boy, before it was finished. When he and his infant could be moved in, he stopped being the Head Disciple except for official gatherings. He was forbidden to train in anything, and even Suiban, his sword, had been shattered as well to drive home that he was no longer of the Jiang Sect.
He was just the unwanted mistress, kept hidden from the world. Wei Ying stopped seeing the Sect Leader as his brother and friend. He only kept a thinly polite attitude towards him. To be honest, he was shocked he had not been tossed out that very same day, left to fend for himself. Shijie was not there to stop Jiang from doing it and none of the disciples, both young and older, would dare say anything against him either. And yet Jiang had kept him. Like a dirty little secret, the skeleton in the cupboard. Perhaps it was what little filial loyalty they had left that kept the Alpha from tossing out an Omega in need. Or he hoped to torture him slowly, either way, Wei Ying would be ready:
Anyone who dared to lay a hand on his a'Yuan was now his enemy, and he would kill them without a moment’s hesitation. Since he was no longer welcomed in the Sect as the Head Disciple, Sect Leader Jiang could not forbid him to Dual Cultivate. It was the art of his Mother's Clan, and he still remembered some of the things she had said and taught him in his childhood. He even had a few memories of her fighting. He practised in secret and when his son was old enough, he would train him as well.
When Sect Leader Jiang ordered him to terminate his pregnancy; Wei Ying stood defiant and did not refer to him as familiarly as he once did. If he had to call him by name he would call him only by his surname. Wei Ying would not punish the child for the sins of the father. After all, he wasn't even sure Wen Chao was truly the sire of his baby. It hadn't been long after that that word had spread. It was a sobering experience to be 5 months along and dragged to a meeting with the leaders and elders of all the Sects both great and small. He was made to stand before them all, belly clearly seen, and having so much hatred aimed at him. By the way they were treating him, he might have been a depraved demonic cultivator, or some criminal guilty of slaughtering hundreds. The Sect Leaders sneered at him as they abused and degraded him. And then, they came to the decision that if he would not willingly cull the child in his belly, they would do it for him.
Terrified, he had fallen to his knees, holding his belly and begged them to leave the baby alone. He had curled up then, keening in the only way an Omega could, distressed and trying to protect his child. Then there was a commotion and the gentle hands of his Shijie caressing his hair as she cradled him close.The source of the commotion appeared to be two strangers, one in black and one in all white. The strangers had drawn their swords, pointing them at the mob. To the left of them stood the Venerated Triad, their own swords at the ready. On the right was Nie Huaisang and quite a few of the Juniors he's trained for years. They were his only defenders. Seeing such powerful Cultivators at the ready, the mob calmed down, but only resentfully.
It was then that the one in white turned towards Wei Ying. His eyes were a more gray version of Wei Ying’s own silver eyes. The stranger in white knelt down beside him and drew three symbols in the pale blue of Yang power, crimson red of Yin power, and purple of the two combined. They were centered around his belly, caressing and slowly sinking in. It took Wei Ying only a moment to realize, perhaps a bit too late, that it could have hurt his baby, but it hadn't. In fact, he could feel his baby calming down, the pains that had started fading away as he relaxed.
“I am Xiao Xingchen, the younger brother to Cangse Sanren. I am your maternal uncle.” He explained before kowtowing to Wei Ying. “This Uncle asks forgiveness for not coming to see Shijie much sooner, for not learning she has died, and left you alone... This Uncle apologizes to Wei Wuxian and will do anything asked to make amends.”
Wei Ying’s eyes had widened in shock at the reveal, mouth falling open as he made some strange half choked sound. He leaned more heavily against Shijie as he closed his eyes, feeling dizzy with emotions that he had no idea how to react to or with. The first instinct was to get angry and damn the man, but the lonely child who spent countless nights wishing for someone to tell him that he was loved, that they were proud of him, that would embrace him, refused to let the anger win. Jiang Yanli, the blessed goddess of mercy that she was, made Xiao Xingchen sit up once more. All that Wei Ying asked of him was that now that they know each other, please continue to be in his life and when his baby was born, their life as well. He also wanted to hear stories of his mother.
Wei Ying said in a louder voice that everyone seems to either hate how open-minded his mother had been or wanted to get in her hanfu. That comment seemed to momentarily break the white clad man, making him go from contrite and pleading forgiveness to a quiet, but righteous fury. Xiao Xingchen seemed to possess the same protective streak for his late Shijie that Wei ying had for Jiang Yanli, his own Shijie. Wei Ying enjoyed watching his uncle rip into the lot with his words, a sharp edge much more cutting than even the sharpest of swords coating each word.
Rounding on the crowd in fury, Xiao Xingchen admonished them, “You make me sick! How dare you speak poorly of Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze in this manner. I may not have known of their passing, but I know that they traveled through all of the lands, helping where they could. And now, at the first Conference since the Wen’s have fallen from grace, you dare to harass their son? For goodness sake, he is pregnant and at high risk of complications due to the unnecessary stress you have all put on him! No. I will not stand for this! I need to speak with my mother about Shijie's passing as well as inform her of how you -who right now, in this very moment, are no better than Wen Rouhan- have treated her Grandson!! I shall return within a fortnight, pray that nothing befalls my nephew or great niece or nephew before I return, or you will not like what happens then...”
“Grandson?” Wei Ying asks, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
“Yes, Xiongzhang, Cangse Sanren Shijie and I are the children of Baoshen Sanren. She will be furious to learn what has happened... Mark my words, should anything befall Wei Ying or his baobei.... well I will teach you why the Omegas of the Baoshen Clan are greatly feared...” He flashed a charming, but deadly smile then.
“I have a grandma... Shijie, Xianxian has a grandma!” Wei Ying gasped as she smiled sweetly at him. “Wait, uncle is leaving?”
“I need to tell her. This is not news that can be given in a letter." Xiao Xingchen told him sadly.
“Okay, This One understands...” He nodded and when the man offered him a hug, Wei Ying it , relishing that his uncle’s embrace was as warm and loving as Shijie's hugs had always been. “A fortnight, mark your words...”
Indeed, two weeks later, Xiao Xingchen and his Alpha, Song Lan, returned with a long letter for Sect Leader Jiang. In it, Baoshan Sanren listed quite the imaginative ways she would torture and kill them if they hurt a single hair on Wei Ying's head or his unborn child's. She sent a second letter only for Wei Ying to see enclosed with robes she made herself adorned with his true Sect's crest and colors, hair pins and tassels of matching origin, as well as the hair piece that marked him as her heir and the future Leader of her Sect.
After that he was left relatively alone, he still resided in Yunmeng, the journey to her mountain would have taken far too long and would have been far too arduous for him and the baby to make it safely. However, once his son had been born, Wei Ying chose to remain in the world, instead of immuring himself on Baoshan Sanren's mountain. This was not because he did not wish to meet his grandmother, but rather because deep down Wei Ying still felt the pull of his Mate Claim. The pull felt like a phantom limb aching, pulling at him but at the same time wrapping warmly about him as if to shield Wei Ying from the world. When he thought of leaving made the fading bond ache terribly, as if he was being branded with a hot iron once more, but this time three times worse. It robbed him of his breath, made his legs feel like limp noodles, and he even fainted once.
It would not let him leave.
When he recovered after fainting, Wei Ying had written to Baoshen Sanren about the claim and the resulting sensations, the fainting spell as well, and she sent a letter back saying she understood. She also admitted that she has had visions of the future, nothing solid, but ever-changing and each path was connected to him. Something was going to happen and depending on his choices alone will the path to the future become clear. However, Baoshen Sanren made it very clear to him that if anyone dared to hurt him or a'Yuan, he was to come to her immediately, the future be damned.
And so for nearly 6 years, he’s lived a quiet life as a single parent to a soon to be 5 year old son, training Spiritual Bunnies, and inventing new talismans and Spiritual tools to aid others while out on Night Hunts, and Cultivating. He made Evil tracking compasses, flags to lure dark spirits and entities into a circle where they will be either contained or carefully exorcised. He studied the scrolls his Uncle brought him every month, got to know more about his mother, continued to practice his Dual Cultivation, and learned a sweet little secret. His Grandma helped Lan An, one of the most revered Ancestors of the Lan Clan, create the Musical Assassination Chords and techniques they are so proud of. This meant that if he had a musical instrument, he could freely use them as a descendant of one of the creators. His Laoshi would Qi deviate for sure and die, if the heart attack doesn’t do him in first!
The one day, on one of his visits, Xiao Xingchen brought him Chenqing, a black bamboo dizi and gave him a tassel imbued with mind and soul protections woven into it so that he can fasten it to the flute. With the help of a permanent attachment spell, he placed it on Chenqing, so he would never lose it.
He blinks a bit dazedly as he comes out of his trip down the path of unpleasant memories at the startled shriek from Wei Yuan. His son runs to hide behind his legs, as the bunnies either scatter or sit closer to the pair, watching the three figures making their way toward them. Wei Ying instantly bristles when he recognizes Sect Leader Jin Guangshan, who has not been as subtle as he likes to think he is about propositioning Wei Ying. The man was famous for sticking his dick into any pretty Omega's warm whole and leaving them high and dry with a bastard child that he refuses to accept or acknowledge unless they bring him some kind of benefit.
In fact, during those last days of the Sunshot Campaign, he finally acknowledged then Meng Yao as his son, Jin Guangyao, after he earned his title, Lianfang Zun and became one of the Venerated Triad with Sect Leaders: Zewu Zun, Lan Xichen, and Chifang Zun, Nie Mingjue. Since then, he sings his 'second favorite' son's praises, while basically making him do all the work for the Sect while he spends his time getting more women and Omegas pregnant. Wei Ying knows that if this bastard is here, it cannot be good. Wei Ying also knows that Jin Guangshan has a bad habit of destroying something he cannot keep for himself. Yeah, it was really not good to see him here.
The second person is his former Laoshi, Clan Elder Lan Qiren. The man had instantly hated him from his introduction. Apparently, the late Sect Leader, Qingheng Jun, had taken a liking to Wei Ying's mother's free spirit and straightforward attitude, though he never made a move on her back then. It would seem he liked her refreshing outlook so much, that when he found and married his wife, a woman of similar attitude, it upset the whole clan. What little Wei Ying had learned of her during those rare times he got HIM to say anything, the Lan Clan had treated her like a pariah because she wasn't what they deemed an 'acceptable Lan prospect.'
According to his Uncle Xixi, Lan Qiren had actually fallen in love with Cangse Sanren and when she turned him down, gently at first but then brutally when he implied she needed a strict Alpha to curb her 'heathen ways', he became embittered. Well that seriously lost his former Laoshi a lot of respect in his eyes and dropped his tolerance of the verbal abuse he hurls at him.
There were also some not so pleasant rumors about the late Sect Leader that Wei Ying felt he should not touch. Though it left a bit of doubt and worry at the back of his mind. He had always wanted to ask HIM, but felt it was too personal a question and back then they weren't the closest of friends.
But still these things put a new light on how Lan Qiren interacted with Wei Ying and it boiled his blood even now:
First of all, Lan Qiren had all but called a woman that he claimed to love a whore. He had told her she needed to change her nature just to fit his ideal. Then he had the audacity to be bitter when she did not throw herself at him. The stories he was hearing now about his mother painted her as a kind woman, honest and blunt, fun-loving and a bit mischievous. She apparently even shaved off Lan Qiren's goatee too! She always offered the benefit of the doubt, but if you angered her, betrayed her trust, or did something that made her think less of you, you had better chances surviving the Burial Mounds with a twig for a weapon than getting back in her good graces.
“You're exactly like her... She would be so proud of you, a'Ying and she would certainly be doting endlessly on a'Yuan.”
Secondly, Lan Qiren had decided to take that bitterness out on her son, for no particular reason at first, causing him to retaliate in kind. Wei Ying had felt guilty for giving Lan Qiren such a hard time during the Lectures, but now that he knows what caused many to dislike him upon meeting, that guilt had been promptly kicked out the door like a mangy dog.
Thirdly, the man had the nerve to blame Wei Ying for the attack on Gusu Lan, which, if he remembered correctly, happened months after he had to leave suddenly. Someone had stolen his suppressants, which forced him into a sudden heat. The fear had been so sharp that it kept the haze away until he had crashed into the sacred Cold Spring. He had been directed there by Lan Xichen, who thought he was flushed from some late night training and bade for him to go cool off in the icy waters. It was in hindsight that he realized that the older Alpha brother had smelt heavily of two others, the scents were a combined “Back off, this is ours” and would have made Lan Xichen noseblind to anything that could be read as ‘invading someone’s territory’ such as another Omega in heat.
It had led to the most embarrassing, and probably the only moment he had to confess to HIM. Wei Ying had panicked as his heat got stronger, closer, and he begged him to leave. In such a daze, he barely remembered when Jiang Yanli found him and stayed at his side the whole time. When it was over, he gave HIM the bunnies, Jingyu and Yin Lianhua, before leaving. It had broken his heart to have said nothing ...and now he was gone. It hurt, it still hurts so much, and Lan Qiren only made it worse by blaming him for things beyond his control, for blaming him for...
He was also blamed for...
No, that was not his fault! It was impossible! According to Lan Xichen, Lan-- his brother had gone missing after the incident in the Tortoise of Slaughter's cave. Lan Xichen didn't believe Wen Chao’s boasting about killing his brother at first, but then Wen Chao had shown him the proof, by throwing the broken hair piece that HE had always worn around HIS topknot, at his feet. It was bloodstained and warped beyond repair at. It was before the bloodbath at the Nightless City. At that time, Wei Ying had been recaptured, and was being primed for a forced heat.
The only reason he doesn't beat the old man down, or even throw his own faults back in his face, is because he raised his nephews when his brother all but abandoned them. The Twin Jades of Lan cared for him, but that does not mean Wei Ying will allow him to cow him anymore. He was tired and he just wanted to be left alone to raise a'Yuan and his Spiritual rabbits in peace. He wanted to keep pretending, in his heart of hearts, that if things had been different, HE would be here, and HE would be the father of his precious Little Radish.
Shaking his head, he glares as the two older men and Sect Leader Jiang walk up to them. As always, Sect Leader Jin was hiding behind his fan, his eyes, like fool's gold, narrowed in a calculating manner, crinkling enough to show he was smiling or at least smirking with glee. It sets Wei Ying even more on edge. Lan Qiren looks like he smells something foul, or wishes he was anywhere but here. However, Wei Ying was not a bratty teen anymore, he has an impressionable son and thus will lead by example and be the bigger person. When they get close enough to have a conversation without yelling like barmaids, he brings his hands together and offers them a greeting bow.
“Sect Elder Lan, Sect Leader Jin, Sect Leader Jiang. What can this one do for you this afternoon?” He asks.
Lan Qiren's snort of derision nearly makes him send a bolt of Yin energy at him and cause him to have a Qi deviation. He's actually shocked that with all of those negative emotions being bottled up, the man hadn't suffered one sooner and if he has, he's not sure if he should be shocked or impressed that he survived it. Jin Guangshan just flutters his fan slowly, a pleased chuckle sounding in his throat as Jiang glares at his bunnies and then at a'Yuan. Wei Ying subtly pushes his son further behind him.
Even though he asked, he's pretty sure it has to do with a'Yuan's parentage. It is always about who claimed him and made a'Yuan with him. Even though it was rape, because he had been in heat, he “asked” for it. It's an age-old story that the victim is to blame for something beyond their control happening to them because they are pretty and happened to be in heat at the time, a forced heat or not. Wei Ying will admit only to himself in the dark of the night when he has nightmares of Wen Chao or Wen Zhuliu pinning him down, laughing as they rape him, telling him they will ruin even his child just by being the father. Nightmares where he is held down as a'Yuan is carved out of his belly and tossed into a bonfire before Wei Ying is tossed to a horde of Fierce Corpses to be torn to pieces because he's a Wen Whore.
'What if one of those monsters did father Wei Yuan?' It's a thought that haunts him relentlessly like the dogs from his childhood. Biting and clawing at him, trying to tear him to pieces.
He mentally bats those thoughts out of the way as he focuses on the here and now. He's seen enough Wens to know for a fact that not a single damn one of them was a'Yuan's father. He looks absolutely nothing like them. In fact, and he knows this is not his wishful thinking kicking in, Wei Yuan looks almost like a Lan, it was in the pin straight hair, some of the expressions he makes that look too much like HIS or how he sometimes makes one of the cute sounds he has heard from the Twin Jades, the little hums or soft grunts, the scoffs and huffs. He can hear the familiar huff of exasperation followed by a reprimanding “Wei Ying'' in HIS voice.
“It is long past due for you to find yourself a suitable Alpha. The Council has convened and decided to hold a competition to win your hand in marriage. While it is open to all, we have a selection of Alphas who would be willing to adopt your child, but only after we ensure he is not a Wen.” Lan Qiren says in his best stern teacher voice, acting like Wei Ying was one of the Lan Disciples and should just do as he says.
“My love life, or lack thereof, is none of your concern. And it is very hard to find a willing Alpha when I'm being kept prisoner like a shamed Madam.” He says clearly, but the biting jab is felt especially by Jiang. “I was never informed of this meeting, nor was in attendance and thus should not have to comply. And as for my son, how exactly can you prove that he is or is not a Wen? And if by some divine joke, that he is a Wen, what would you do?”
“We'll cleanse the stain.” Lan Qiren states matter-of-factly. The nonchalance he displays at saying they would kill a child has Wei Ying on the defensive. Screw being the bigger person.
“A'Yuan, go hide; now!” His son runs quickly as his little legs will go, a couple of the bunnies following him as Suiban comes flying into his hand.
“What the hell, Wei Wuxian!? Put that down, your sword is shattered! You cannot hope to fight us with it!” Jiang yells at him, hand on Sandu, ready to draw it.
“You just threatened to kill my son... I don't give a damn if I have to use a dead fish for a weapon. You will only kill him over my dead body and considering you all want to sell me like a prized pig to the highest bidder, you cannot afford that.” Wei Ying growls.
Lan Qiren sighs and pulls a communication talisman from his sleeve, it lights up blue, and he speaks into it, “Do you have the child? Good, bring him.”
“NO!! Leave a'Yuan alone-- Aaaaaaaaaah!?” He screams as Zidian wraps around his sword hand and shocks him. His world exploded into pain and darkness.
As he falls, he feels like his world was tilting on its axis, yet again, and this time, he's not sure if he will be able to land on his feet or if someone will catch him...