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Ye Zun opens his eyes. His power is raging around him, a swirl of unchecked dark energy.
Hunger.
Someone is screaming and it takes him a moment to realise it's him. It takes another long second to realise exactly where he is, even if he should have known. He snaps his mouth shut and takes control of his raging power, just in time as it slams back into him, carrying a very familiar energy with it.
Ah, Leader, we meet again, Ye Zun thinks wryly. He hadn't even seen him die this time. Too bad. He might have had more time to enjoy it this time. The first time the shock of his newly awakened power had been too great to savour the experience.
He takes a deep breath and then rises up. The silence is deafening. He can't remember if everyone had been this silent the first time. Ye Zun looks at them. He's not against the idea of eating a few more of them, but he's also aware that at least some of them might not deserve it. Some of them had been manipulated the same as Ye Zun, or at least he thinks so.
The thought makes Ye Zun feel sick. He's not used to thinking of any of them with sympathy.
He can feel that power settling inside him, becoming his own. This time, he already knows the power. This time he knows what to look for inside people, to find its influence; to pull it out if he needs to.
Something squirms inside him, uncomfortable and… foreign.
Maybe he should start with himself.
The sickness in the pit of his belly twists, rising up, and Ye Zun swallows it back with force. He can't show any weakness now. Not in front of these people.
Ye Zun stares at the men, a challenge in his eyes and posture. He grins sharp and hungry.
Slowly, one after the other, their weapons lower. One of them thuds down to his knees on the ground and very quickly the action spreads. They all fall down, bowing down in front of Ye Zun.
It still feels good. Some things might have changed, but some things are still the same. Ye Zun laughs.
The men stay on their knees.
Most of the faces are unfamiliar to him. He'd thought once that he would never be able to forget them. No matter how he tried, he would see them in his dreams. But here and now, Ye Zun realises that it's been so long that he can't tell one of them from another.
Which one of them was it who'd taken so much pleasure in ordering Ye Zun around? Which one had laughed when he'd fallen down, spilling the water in the buckets he'd been carrying? Which of them had kicked him and yelled at him for spilling the burden he'd been far too weak to carry in the first place? Which of them had—?
He shoves the memories away. Being here has stirred up things he hasn't thought about for ages. Maybe it's just as well that their faces tell Ye Zun very little. There are things he prefers not to remember.
The insides of their heads are far more telling. Not that his newly re-acquired power lets him read minds, not really. But it does help him get a feel for them. And he can certainly recognise the influence of that power when he finds it.
It takes some time to get the camp in order, but Ye Zun finds the time to talk to each one of the people there. It will take how long it takes. The ones that end up having the wrong attitude he consumes. It's a simple solution and he needs more powers. It's unfortunate that those hadn't travelled with him into the past.
Shen Wei would most likely disapprove, but Shen Wei doesn't need to know about everything. Besides, what are his options? Should he mind control them instead, would that be the moral choice? It's not like Ye Zun is eating them just for disliking him. He'd probably have to eat all of them then. In the end, if Ye Zun doesn't take care of them, there's a good chance somewhere down the line they'd face Shen Wei in battle and he'd kill them anyway. It's better that Ye Zun takes care of things before they become a problem.
His actions leave the camp with a somewhat awkward atmosphere. Everyone seems to assume Ye Zun might eat them for no reason at all. He hasn't explained his reasons to anyone. Well, at least it makes them all more obedient.
While he's taking the time to see all of them, he also takes the time to pull out the strands of influence inside them. In some of them, it's far too ingrained, too much a part of who they are for Ye Zun to be able to do much about it. It must be the ones who'd been with the former Leader for the longest. The ones closest to him. Like Ye Zun had been.
He swallows the nausea and tries not to feel guilty when he has to consume one of those people. This one had probably been one of the ones taking delight in tormenting Ye Zun, he tries to tell himself. It's probably even true, but the revenge feels hollow.
Ye Zun is starting to doubt if Shen Wei had made it to the past. He should have been here by now, if he had, right? Granted, since Ye Zun acquired the Hallows and sent them to Dixing they've all been laying rather low. Perhaps Shen Wei doesn't know where to find him.
Ye Zun still isn't entirely sure of his decision not to go with the Hallows himself. He'd selected the people who he believed most wanted to protect their people, but there's always a chance that someone would try to take advantage of the opportunity. There's a lot of power in the Hallows, and some people wouldn't be able to stop themselves.
Maybe he should have brainwashed them, just to be sure.
But it's too late for that. The Hallows are gone, hopefully in Dixing by now. Maybe the fact that he keeps directing any civilian Dixingren they encounter back to Dixing won't end in disaster. Not all of them will go, but there are so many without any other options. Ye Zun doesn't remember caring about any of them before, now he can't stop it, even when he tries. It's easier not to think about why that has changed.
Some of Ye Zun's people aren't too happy about the change in priorities.
You can't eat all of them, a voice says inside Ye Zun's head. It sounds remarkably like Shen Wei.
But I could, Ye Zun answers equally silent. But he doesn't consume all of them. He doesn't even brainwash them.
It's quite annoying.
He wishes Shen Wei was here. He's doing this because of Shen Wei, isn't he? And Shen Wei doesn't even show up.
If something went wrong and Shen Wei didn't come back then he wouldn't even know Ye Zun is still alive. If Shen Wei doesn't come to him, then Ye Zun will have to find Shen Wei. It can't be all that hard to find Heipaoshi.
He refuses to think about what it might mean if Shen Wei doesn't remember everything that has happened between them.
Ye Zun isn't entirely sure why some of the men insist on going with him once he announces he needs to leave to take care of something. He doesn't tell them where he's going or what he's doing. They don't need to know about Shen Wei.
He would have thought they'd be relieved to see the back of him. He wasn't expecting anyone to argue when he says he's going alone.
"The Alliance might find you. You shouldn't be alone, Leader," his second in command says with a frown. Technically, Ye Zun hasn't appointed him to that position, somehow the man had just suddenly been there. Since he gets on Ye Zun's nerves slightly less than some of the others, he hasn't seen much reason to change things. It makes things easier to have someone else handle the things Ye Zun can't be bothered with.
Ye Zun can see how he'd be happy if Ye Zun leaves. It would leave him in charge. How long it would last without someone challenging him for it is another matter entirely. Sending away the people most likely to oppose him would be the smart thing to do.
Ye Zun stares at him and says nothing.
"I would prefer to come with you myself," the man says.
And to his surprise, Ye Zun finds that he doesn't think he's lying. He cocks his head slightly, staring at him. How very strange. He should be happy Ye Zun is leaving.
(Zhu Jiu had been fanatically loyal to Ye Zun. It's not like devotion like that is entirely new to him, but Zhu Jiu's feelings had been artificially induced, at least to start with. He doesn't think Zhu Jiu would ever have argued with him.)
In the end, they argue things down to two companions. Ye Zun isn't quite sure how he ended up conceding to that much. Neither of them are happy with the result.
At least they don't slow him down. They also don't talk much, other than in occasional whispers to each other, so Ye Zun supposes they're not quite as bothersome as they could be.
The reason why one of them has the power to throw lances of fire, while the other one is a healer, is not entirely lost on Ye Zun. His second in command was anticipating them getting into some kind of trouble and was trying to cover his bases.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are we going, Leader?" One of them finally asks Ye Zun, once they're settled down for the night. They've already settled on a watch schedule, so maybe they're not quite so nervous about talking to Ye Zun now.
Ye Zun looks at him for a moment. It's the healer. He's looking back at Ye Zun somewhat expectantly, the light from their very small fire flickering over his face. The night is cold and the fire isn't nearly warm enough. At least Ye Zun had taken his warmest cloak with him. His body is used to the chill, it's not like Ye Zun had been afforded anything nearly as warm as this cloak, before.
At this point, perhaps it's better if they know what they're in for. Unless he manages to send them away, but he has a feeling they might just try following him anyway and that might turn out worse. He doesn't want them to react in… unfortunate ways. Not that Ye Zun would let them so much as touch Shen Wei, even by accident, but he supposes there's no reason to take any risks.
"I'm going to find Heipaoshi," he says.
He can see both of their eyes widen at that. The other one visibly startles at Ye Zun's words. He can tell they want to ask him more questions, but they don't quite dare to, which is good, because Ye Zun has no intention of prolonging this talk.
"We have avoided conflict with the Alliance lately," one of them observes very carefully. It's not a question and he doesn't dare to openly express doubt about whatever Ye Zun's plans might be.
Ye Zun has established a tendency to eat people. You don't openly disagree with someone who might eat you for it. And yet somehow, his second in command had argued enough for these two to end up here with Ye Zun.
He huffs softly and looks out into the darkness, beyond their little fire.
"No one is going to harm Heipaoshi. I will… talk to him," Ye Zun says. He wants to grimace at the way he hesitates for a moment, but manages to keep the expression from his face. These two don't need to see how uncertain Ye Zun is feeling.
When he finally looks back at the two, they seem to have reached some kind of conclusion. Ye Zun doesn't much care what they think, as long as they do what he tells them to.
"See to it that he isn't harmed," Ye Zun orders. It sounds like a threat. It is a threat. They will not live to regret it if something happens to Shen Wei.
"Of course, Leader," one of them says. Whatever conclusions he's drawn, he looks almost happy, a knowing little smile on his lips.
Ye Zun scoffs. "I'm going to sleep," he says, turning away from them.
It's not that hard to track down Heipaoshi. It helps that they'd had pretty good reports about where Heipaoshi had been seen last. It definitely helps that Ye Zun can make people tell him what he wants to know. And people notice Heipaoshi.
There aren't that many people left out here, but they come across a small village. They're Haixingren and only the fact that they're clearly struggling just as much as any Dixingren they've come across makes Ye Zun feel less bitter towards them. Heipaoshi and his men had stayed at the village briefly.
It seems like Heipaoshi is on some kind of mission with a group of men. Still looking for the Hallows, Ye Zun guesses quietly to himself. That has to mean Shen Wei doesn't remember, doesn't it? He wouldn't be here, spending time on this, if he remembered, would he? He would have come to Ye Zun already if he remembered.
That's not ideal if Ye Zun wants to avoid confrontation. He had taken the Hallows, after all. It would be easier if Shen Wei was alone, but with his men with him— But Ye Zun knows exactly how to avoid a confrontation, as long as he makes it to Shen Wei first. All he needs to do is remove his mask.
For some reason the thought makes something cold squirm in his belly.
They're still some way behind Heipaoshi and his men, even though they are catching up. They can move faster with just the three of them. He doesn't have to decide yet.
They end up forgoing rest that night and keep on moving, even as his insides seem to tie themselves into ever tighter knots. His men don't offer any protests, even if they don't handle the lack of rest as easily as he does. But at least they're Dixingren, and not quite as fragile as Haixingren.
He wonders if some of Shen Wei's men are Haixingren and that's why they're moving slower than Ye Zun might expect. He's no expert on Haixingren, but they've captured a few before—before. Going by his observations, they do seem to need more sleep than even the weakest Dixingren.
It only occurs to Ye Zun that it might not have been the best idea to leave his men slightly sleep-deprived when they're suddenly facing Heipaoshi's men. There are arrows pointed at them, and no doubt long-range powers held at the ready. Suddenly, Ye Zun can feel the fire just out of sight, shivering at the fingertips of one of Ye Zun's men.
He glares at him, wordlessly reminding him of exactly what Ye Zun had told them.
Heipaoshi's men hold their fire. Ye Zun hadn't tried to sneak up on them. Instead, he'd walked up to the outer guards quite openly and waited to be noticed. He's almost surprised that no one attacks them, despite the tension shivering in the air. At least it's a pleasant surprise.
(Maybe, Ye Zun's perception of the Alliance isn't entirely fair. Perhaps they don't always attack on sight.)
He's not made a decision about what to do yet, but the moment is getting closer as they're marched into camp, Ye Zun's choices narrowing with each step. His men are looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to fix this.
They're walking into an enemy camp with him, without a word of protest, without asking questions. He can feel the tension in them, but they're doing exactly what Ye Zun had asked them to. Maybe they're not wrong, expecting him to deal with things.
Funnily, Ye Zun sees Zhao Yunlan first. Their eyes meet and Ye Zun feels an uncomfortable jolt of recognition. His own or Zhao Yunlan's, he isn't sure, the feeling seems to shiver between them as their eyes meet for a moment. He wasn't expecting Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan belongs in another time and he hadn't expected him here. He knows about Zhao Yunlan's previous time travel. He knows he'd thrown himself into time the same way as they had. And somehow, he still hadn't expected to find Zhao Yunlan here.
Is he why Shen Wei hasn't come for Ye Zun? He buries the anger before it can get a hold of him. He can't afford it right now.
It's easier after that, to lift his hand up to his face and pull the mask away. He hasn't looked at Shen Wei yet. He's not sure if it's on purpose or not. He's not sure if he wants to see Shen Wei's expression when he sees Ye Zun. He's not sure he wants to know if Shen Wei remembers.
There had been three of them. They'd been sure at least one of them would manage to travel back in time. Suddenly, with a sort of desperation he thought he'd left behind, he doesn't want to be the only one who made it.
The people around them grow tense at Ye Zun's movement, but it's only Zhao Yunlan who gasps audibly as Ye Zun's face is revealed. He's the only one who's seen Shen Wei's face, Ye Zun realises a moment later.
He pushes thoughts of Zhao Yunlan to the side and looks at his gege.
"Didi," Shen Wei whispers, the word too quiet to hear, but Ye Zun can read the shape of it on his lips. He's wearing his mask of course, but it doesn't hide the expression of stunned disbelief. Not from Ye Zun.
"You didn't know I was alive, gege?" Ye Zun says and even he doesn't know if it's a question or an accusation.
That finally makes everyone else react, a sort of surprised murmur going through the people. Ye Zun ignores them. They don't matter.
Only Shen Wei matters.
"Didi," Shen Wei says again, louder this time like he can't manage to say anything else. Suddenly, he shakes his head jerkily. "I… thought you were dead."
This time, Ye Zun isn't quite so filled with anger and it's easier to hear the hope and guilt in Shen Wei's voice. It's easier to see what it means. He doesn't remember the future. He doesn't remember the things Ye Zun has done.
For a moment Ye Zun feels relieved and then—it feels like his heart shatters in his chest. It's better that Shen Wei doesn't remember, Ye Zun tells himself. He would hate the things Ye Zun has done, but—they were supposed to come here together.
Ye Zun can't help but glance towards Zhao Yunlan. Does he remember? He would have told Shen Wei Ye Zun is alive, wouldn't he? Or would he want to keep Shen Wei all to himself? Anger kindles in his chest, but then he looks at Zhao Yunlan's wide eyes. He'd pulled the gun at some point, but it's pointing at the ground and not at Ye Zun.
Ye Zun needs to know for sure. He needs to know, because if Zhao Yunlan remembers and hasn't told Shen Wei then— But Ye Zun can't kill him, not now. Shen Wei would never forgive him.
For a moment, he ignores Shen Wei, even though all Ye Zun wants is to turn back to him.
"Zhao Yunlan," he says, looking at Zhao Yunlan. The surprise, Ye Zun thinks, can't be anything but genuine.
The gun rises again and Ye Zun might have miscalculated. If Zhao Yunlan thinks Ye Zun comes from the same time he does— Well, he would certainly not feel friendly towards that Ye Zun.
"I'm from further away. We made… peace," Ye Zun says, quick and awkward. The gun wavers a little and doesn't quite point at him.
He should be concentrating on Shen Wei, not talking to Zhao Yunlan.
"Didi?" Shen Wei says, his voice shaking, and all of Ye Zun's attention is pulled to Shen Wei.
"Yes, gege," he agrees. Behind the mask Shen Wei's eyes are so wide, so vulnerable. Ye Zun takes a step closer and everyone around him shifts, preparing for… something.
It's enough for Shen Wei to notice them, and with a small start, he looks around and then orders everyone to stand down. Ye Zun can hear the small shake in his voice, behind the firm tone he uses when talking to his men.
Ye Zun doesn't need to tell his two men to stand down, they know to do it without his orders.
Shen Wei's steps are hesitant when he approaches Ye Zun. That's wrong, so Ye Zun closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Shen Wei and holding on. Zhao Yunlan makes a noise that might be a protest and Ye Zun ignores him, along with everything else.
"I tried to find you, didi. I tried," Shen Wei whispers, his voice far too shaky.
"I know, gege. I'm here now," Ye Zun answers. He's never leaving his gege again.
"I have questions," Zhao Yunlan's voice says and Ye Zun glares at him over Shen Wei's shoulder. It makes Shen Wei pull away. Ye Zun glares harder.
"Kunlun," Shen Wei says, turning to look at him. There's a smile on Shen Wei's lips, small, but genuine, a little bit watery. "This is my didi," he tells Zhao Yunlan.
Ye Zun can see the way Zhao Yunlan melts in the face of his gege's expression. "Yeah, I figured," he says and then tries to get his expression under control as he meets Ye Zun's gaze.
Ye Zun sighs. "We have a lot to talk about," he says, hating to agree with Zhao Yunlan.
Shen Wei would want to know what Ye Zun has done since he came back. He should tell Shen Wei about the Hallows, about what the Treaty had done to Dixing in the end. Those are things Shen Wei would care about.
Ye Zun reaches out and tugs at Shen Wei's arm. Shen Wei looks at him. His eyes are so wide, like he can't quite believe what he's seeing. Ye Zun pulls him into another hug. Everything else can wait for a little while longer.