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Manic people kept passing by every few minutes while Wangji and his freezing soul-bond were still hiding behind the fence of a random house near the city. Wuxian's breath was starting to labor because of how cold he felt. Each breath felt like daggers, stabbing his insides with pain. He slowly wiggled closer to the frantic Wangji and leaned his cheek to rest on his chest. Wangji pulls the smaller man close and peers over the fence once more to check if the coast is clear. He can see light moving around as people desperately tried to find the fleeing Oracle.
He hears someone behind him say: "You're killing my plants."
Wangji turns around and raises Bichen to block the person from coming closer. Before him was a woman standing at the door of the house they barged into, holding a lantern and staring at them. She places the lantern on the ground and raises her hands in clear sign of peace. Wangji relaxes enough to take a better look at her. She was deformed; random growths around her face and neck as well as different limb lengths made the woman look monstrous. Wangji and Wuxian are seasoned cultivators. They have seen many evil beings throughout their journey. They didn't react to her appearance or cringe in fear.
She narrows her eyes, looking at Wuxian who's barely awake: "Mister cultivator, is your wife injured?"
Wangji puts down Bichen for now. This woman saw Wuxian's hair and eyes and didn't recognize him as the Divine Oracle. She even thought he was a woman. He can trust her for now.
She steps to the side motioning to her door: "Come in. It's warm inside and I have medicine and bandages you can use."
Wangji didn't have time to question her motives and scoops Wuxian into his arms and hastily made his way in. She ushers them to a blanket set out in front of a fire she's using to make tea. He sets down Wuxian and helps him get close to warmth. She moves around them, handing them a thick blanket, ointments and bandages and even preparing food and tea to serve them. Wuxian was leaning on his soul-bond, relishing the warmth of the fire and the body behind him while watching the women hustle around them.
The house was very small, but clean and well kept. Everything around looks like it was hand-made or constructed by someone barley skilled. Half of the space around them was filled with books on top of books. Whoever this woman was, she clearly loves to read.
After a while, Wuxian recovered enough to sit at the table and eat the warm porridge she served them. Wuxian was touched by her kindness and didn't want to cause her trouble. He whispers timidly: "The townspeople are looking for us."
She chuckles: "They won't find you here. They consider my home and garden an unlucky place. No one has crossed the fence in many years."
Wangji was confused: "Unlucky?"
She points to herself and says: "Everyone in my family looks.. different. We were born this way but were shunned for many years and mistreated. They considered our deformity a curse that will bring bad luck to our community. To save us from their prejudice, my father made a deal with the city occupants many years ago. They were afraid that our continued existence would corrupt the blessings of the well so he promised them that if we stayed at the border of the city and never use or consume the well water that they will leave us in peace."
Wuxian felt sadness toward her: "That's not fair."
The woman smiles at him: "It's fine. We made our own garden to grow our food. We get our water from the lake a mile into the forest out back. I go to the edge of the city once a month and buy a book from a script writer who was a good friend of my father. It's a peaceful existence."
Wuxian reaches across the table and places his hand on hers. She was taken back by this gesture. No one outside her family ever willingly tried to touch her. He whispered: "Thank you for helping us."
Wangji: "We are not criminals." Wangji didn't want to lie to the woman or tell her the whole truth. He looks at Wuxian and says: "He attracts unwanted attention with his.. different appearance."
The woman's eyes widen and she stares at Wuxian: "HE! You're a man?"
Wuxian coughs awkwardly and nods. It looks a few minutes of her gawking openly at the smaller man while he eats before she accepts the new information.
Wuxian tightens the blanket wrapped around him and remembers that they didn't properly introduce themselves: "I'm Wei Wuxian and.." he points to Wangji: "This is my soul-bond: Lan Wangji."
The woman smiles at them and says: "My name is Meili. You're welcome to stay as long as you need. I don't often get to meet cultivators such as yourselves."
Wuxian looks around: "You love books."
She nods: "I don't get to leave my property. But my mind can travel when I read stories written by others."
Wuxian: "There must be hundreds of books here!"
She chuckles shyly: "I've probably read every book known to man."
Wuxian was intrigued: "Is any of these books about the origin of the blessed well?"
Meili: "A few of them. I like to read diary accounts of travelers the most. It has more truth than the published historians who seek profit and fame."
Wuxian rubs his sore neck: "We heard the fable surrounding the well, the one about the God who granted the wish of the old man and immortal boy."
Meili nods: "That's the.. fairytale version of the story."
Wangji: "Do you know another?"
Meili gets up and serves tea before saying: "A while back, the script writer gave me diaries of men who belonged to the clan that used to live in the town before it became a mixed community. According to them, the history of the well has a darker context to it. A long time ago, there was a man from the original clan that occupied the land we know now as Luxia City. The clan leader grew old before he was able to marry and bear children. His clan threatened to take his leadership if he cannot find a successor or a descendent to take over his duties before he dies. Women were less in numbers than men in that clan so he had to travel outside to find a mate. During his trip, he accidentally killed a boy who ran in front of his horse while he was riding it. The mother of that boy cursed him to never bear a son and if he did then that son will die an early brutal death just like hers. The man strongly believed in the supernatural and took her words seriously. He found a lover after a few years and she gave him a son. He never forgot the hateful words of the grieving mother and offered money to anyone who can find the means to prolong one's life. The clan thought that their leader wanted to live forever and shamed him for going against nature. He didn't care, all he wanted was to keep his son safe so he killed everyone who tried to get in his way. By the time his son was near the age of the curse, the clan leader had killed most of his clan and had no solution to his son's pending demise. A wise man passed by the town one day and the leader was told that he was enlightened. He was summoned before the old man to come up with a solution or die. Since most of his clan was dead and he had nothing else to lose, desperation was starting to take a toll. The wise man told him that nothing in the world comes without a price. He took a life and one must be paid in return. But, an equal trade has many shapes and forms. If the man were to stop his son from growing and offer his life in return, nature would surely be satisfied. The wise man told him to build a well and throw his son in it then take his own life to complete the curse cycle. The boy will forever live in the well and never age while the clan will be free from the desperate tyrant father who murdered many to fulfill their demands."
Wuxian eyes were wide: "Such a dark story for a blessed well."
Meili: "The boy was innocent. The future of the clan didn't deserve to suffer for the sins of their ancestors. The wise man warded the well after a generation has passed to reflect the boy's true calling. He was born to lead the clan and help them grow. He has been doing that ever since."
Wangji: "How do you know that this is the true original story?"
Meili: "I've read it in five different diaries of men who were part of the original clan. The details matchup and the events were accounted for."
Wuxian rubs his nose and looks critically at the woman before him: "Meili, if the townspeople are mean to you, why don't you leave?"
Meili bows her head in sorrow: "My parents died in a house fire many moons ago. My brother and I rebuilt this house and after many years he couldn't bear to live in seclusion any longer and left to find us a better place to live. A few days later one of the village peddlers brought his mangled body to my gate. Outsiders thought he was a monster and beat him to death."
Wuxian looks at Wangji and whispers: "Do you think my leaf can change her?"
Wangji: "Would you like to try?"
Wuxian smiles at Meili: "We have to repay your kindness."
Meili waves her hands: "No need. Your company was more than enough."
Wuxian looks seriously at the woman and asks: "Can you trust me?"
Meili stares at the beautiful man before her and nods timidly. He gets up with the help of Wangji and moves towards the door and into her garden. He clears a patch of dirt and starts drawing symbols with his finger and after he's done he activates it with the palm of his hand. Meili has never seen cultivators do their thing in real life. But from what she read, this shouldn't be possible. After Wuxian grows the small tree, he plucks the golden leaf and goes inside to hand it over to Meili.
Wuxian: "A while back, I was blessed by the Mother Tree with the ability to heal all ailment with this golden leaf. Meili, I don't consider you sick, if anything I think you look unique.. Just like me. But this life you're living breaks my heart. I don't know if this will work or not, but I will regret it if we don't try. I promise you this, even if nothing changes I will not leave this city without finding you a better place to live in. A place that values your beauty and treasures your extensive knowledge."
Meili stares at the leaf in her hand and takes a deep breath before asking: "What do I need to do?"
Wuxian: "Consume it."
She did and for a few minutes nothing happened.. until Meili felt heat engulf her body.
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