.
Wuxian smiles when he wakes up hearing Wangji play a calming tune. He opens his eyes to look at his soul-bond and notices that they're not in their guest room. Someone is rubbing his hand soothingly so he turns to see who it is: "Wen Ning?"
The pale man looks at him with a warm smile: "You're awake."
Wuxian looks around one more time and asks: "Where are we?"
Wen Ning: "Jin Clan Master Healer's place."
Wuxian frowns: "Why?"
Wen Ning: "Because you're sick."
Wuxian: "How sick?"
Wangji feels his soul-bond getting worked up so he stops playing to switch places with Wen Ning, sitting next to a tired looking Wuxian: "Wei Ying, you need to stay calm."
Wuxian: "Why can't I recover in our room?"
Wangji: "The healer advised us against moving you."
Wuxian tries to get up, but Wangji places a gentle hand on his chest to keep him down: "You need to stay on your back too."
Wuxian lets out a sigh and whispers: "I want to argue with you but I'm too tired."
Wangji: "For the next week, you will stay on your back and remain calm. Your pulse has suffered from the poison and this type of rest and medicine will ensure its return to a regular rhythm."
Wuxian placed a hand on top of the Wangji's and blinked tiredly at him: "Is that why my heart feels like it's flipping in my chest?"
Wangji frowns in worry: "Are you in pain?"
Wuxian shakes his head: "No. It just feels uncomfortable."
Wangji takes the hand covering his and kisses it: "I love you."
Wuxian smiles teasingly: "Not more than Wen Ning."
Wen Ning hides his chuckle behind his hand, then coughs and looks around when Wangji glares at him.
Wangji turns back to glare at a tiredly laughing Wuxain: "Don't tease me."
Wuxian: "Isn't it true? Tell me how much you love me so we can compare and see who wins."
Wangji inches close until his forehead is almost touching Wuxian: "My love for you is immeasurable. It has no bound to mark its beginning and end. I don't need to prove it anymore, all I need is for you to let me express it without restraints."
Wuxian closes the distance and kisses him tenderly then whispers: "hmm.. I wonder if you know how happy this makes me feel."
Wangji smiles: "I do."
Wuxian nuzzles his cheek and whispers sadly: "I want to stay here, like this with you forever. The world doesn't like me like you do."
Wangji pulls back to see a tearful Wuxian looking up at him: "You need to stay calm."
Wuxian sobs tiredly: "Someone tried to kill me again. How can I stay calm?"
A few tears escape Wuxian's eyes. Wangji wipes them: "Please don't cry. We will find the culprit and deal with it."
Wuxian: "What about the next time? And the one after that? Most people hate me or fear me. This cycle will never end."
Wuxian scrunches his eyes shut, lets out a pain filled moan and clutches his chest. Wangji starts to panic: "Wei Ying, take a deep breath. I will fix this. Trust me."
Wuxian nods and starts breathing slowly to calm his nerves until the pain subsides. He whispers, eyes still closed: "I don't want you to suffer because of me."
Wangji lets out a dark chuckle: "The only person who will suffer is the one who chooses to harm or dishonor you."
Wuxian drifts back to an exhausted sleep and Wangji returns to his zither to continue playing. Wen Ning, still standing on the side, clutches his fists in anger: 'I demand blood and someone will pay for Master Wei's tears.'
Cheng showed up at Wangji's guest room the next night dragging a tired looking Jin Ling. They left Wuxian in the care of Jingyi, Sizhui and Wen Ning.
Wangji let's them in and serves them hot tea before Cheng glares at Ling to start talking. Jin Ling takes out a scroll and places it on the table between them: "This is the best I can do. A list of people who hate Wei Wuxian more than Uncle did before he was resurrected." Cheng smacks him on the back of the head: "Say that again and I will cut off your tongue!"
Jin Ling rubs his head and continues: "These are relatives and dependents of people Wei Wuxian killed or aided in killing."
The list was long. It has 48 people on it and they both looked shocked. Wangji stares at Jin Ling: "Explain."
Jin Ling sighs: "According to what they claim, Yilling Patriarch has murdered 1,093 cultivators from our clan before he was killed by Jiang Cheng. He has ended bloodlines and robbed, and I quote, good men from their futures. They blame Wei Wuxian for the deaths that happened from corpse possession in the Sunshot Campaign to the bloodbath that happened in Nightless City. The 48 on that list still hold a grudge and blame him for all the subsequent misfortunes, including the death of our previous leader, Jin Guangyao."
Cheng slams his hand on the table: "This is ridiculous! We already proved his innocence and he was justified in his actions in both incidents! How long will the past keep haunting us?"
Wangji looks at the list and speaks calmly: "We need to look into all these names and narrow down the list of suspects." He walks out to see Taiho standing guard at the door: "Summon the others and the Ouyang disciples as well."
Wangji returns and addresses Jin Ling: "Thank you for compiling the list. You may leave."
Ling was shocked: "What? Why? You asked for the other disciples! I can help too!"
Cheng rolls his eyes and huffs angrily: "They can be trusted to defend Wuxian's honor and fight for him. You, we do not trust."
Ling grabs his uncle's arm: "I can do that too! Give me a chance!"
Cheng shoves him: "Chances are earned not given!"
Ling looks at him pleadingly: "Then let me earn it."
Cheng looks at Wangji, who nods his head, then turns to threaten his nephew: "You disappoint me one more time and I will disown you!"
Jin Ling nods with determination and stands beside the disciples who arrived and bowed their respect to the leaders.
Wangji addresses the youth: "We have a list of people who have potentially poisoned Wei Ying. I request your assistance in looking into each of them, especially their whereabouts the day he was poisoned. This is not an order, it's a request. You can choose to walk out and no one will shame you."
They all stepped once to the front and yelled: "Command us!"
He divides the names between the youths. They're set into rotation with sitting by Wuxian or walking around Carp Tower looking into the names on their list.
Once they were done, Wangji went to meet with Jin Clan Leader to discuss the details of the night hunt and Cheng went to sit with his brother. When Cheng approaches the Healer's room and nods to Wen Ning who's standing guard outside, he hears laughter. Wuxian was laying in bed, holding a cup with what looks like a stick in it. Jiangyi was enthusiastically telling a story about some other clan disciple trying to play his guqin miserably. Sizhui was laughing hard, holding his stomach and Wuxian was smiling and chuckling tiredly, clearly amused by the story. They noticed his presence after a few minutes and the boys jumped to bow their respect and went to join Wen Ning outside.
Wuxian smiles at his brother and shows him his cup: "Look what Taiho made for me: a straw made from bamboo. This way I can drink my soup and potions without getting up."
Cheng takes the cup when he sees Wuxian's hand shaking and looks at it: "Smart."
Wuxian: "Of course he is. He's my disciple after all."
Cheng puts the cup on a nearby table and holds his brother's cold shaking hand in both his: "Are you better?"
Wuxian: "I'm not dead so that's a win, right?"
Cheng glares at him: "Don't be stupid."
Wuxian pouts: "I'm never stupid!"
Cheng closes his eyes and brings his hand close to smells his wrist: "Brother, will you come home with me?"
Wuxian smiles sadly: "It's not my home anymore."
Cheng opens his eyes to look seriously at his brothers: "It could be once more."
Wuxian shakes his head: "I have another home now."
Cheng: "One can have more than one home."
Wuxian sighs loudly then grimaces when his heart flips a little hard.
Cheng squeezes the hand in his: "Stay at peace, brother. Control your breathing."
When the uncomfortable feeling passes, Wuxian looks tiredly at his brother: "Why do you want me to come with you?"
Cheng smiles: "Do I need a reason?"
Wuxian stares at their joint hands: "Yes."
Cheng sighs in disappointment but confesses: "We want you to leave this place as soon as possible but you cannot travel too far. I suggested that we head towards Lotus Pier since it's closer."
Wuxian looks anxiously: "I don't know.. It hurts going back. The memories. It's been 16 years for you all but it's still fresh.."
An agonizing sound leaves Wuxian's lips and he scrunches his eyes in agony. His breath stutters and his free hand grabs his chest. Cheng sees the sudden change and tries to calm his brother: "Wei Ying, breathe with me. Deep and slow. Come on! Come on!"
It doesn't seem to work, he yells: "WEN NING! CALL THE HEALER!"
Wuxian is turning white as snow when the healer rushes in: "What happened?"
Cheng steps aside: "He became emotional and I couldn't calm him down."
The healer turns Wuxian on his side, undos his robe and starts to target energy at specific spiritual points around his chest. It seems to ease the pain considerably. With one final round of energy transference, Wuxian passes out from exhaustion.
The healer turns to Cheng: "Jiang Clan Leader, what part of 'he needs to stay calm' do you not understand?"
Cheng glares at the old man: "I cannot control his reactions!"
The healer: "But you can control the subject of your conversation. You're his brother, if anyone knows how to keep him happy it should be you!"
That stung deep in his soul. When was the last time he made his brother laugh? Does he even know how to laugh himself?
The healer sees the solemn look on the clan leader and squares his shoulders: "Please leave."
Cheng looks offended: "You're kicking me out?"
The healer glares: "My house, my rules. You're disturbing my patient's recovery."
Cheng sneaks one last worried look at Wuxian then sneers at the healer on his way out. He thought his relationship with his brother was mended, but apparently the wounds are still open. He refuses to give up and this will be the last time he causes his brother unnecessary pain.
.