Chapter 16 - Beginning

"Lan QiRen is hosting resentful energy."

The Jingshi was silent, the words filling all the space around the three men. It echoed in the room and their hearts, suddenly still with fear. The implications were profound. When had any energy taken up residence within a Cultivator? Certainly, they used and manipulated energy, but it was positive energy and a short-term connection - task-oriented, the energy was released and dispersed upon serving their purpose. The Core, that golden centre that gathered and cultivated the positive energy used in their spiritual work, was inviolate - wasn't it?

"Healer Zhang is reaching out and the elders are helping. They are combing through old records, ancient histories, even stories and fables, looking for anything remotely similar. It's only one day and nothing has yet come to light. I hope someone will find something soon." Lan XiChen took up the burden to update his brother and Wei WuXian.

"At present Uncle is in stasis in his residence. Healer Zhang hoped the familiarity would help calm him when he woke - was awakened," he corrected himself. "The stasis is supposed to last two more days, but with no experience in a deviation of this nature Healer Zhang will not commit to that. There is a possibility that Uncle will somehow break the stasis, so we are looking for ways and means to keep him safe, and us safe from him, before that happens. In fact, Healer Zhang was to meet me mid-day in the Main Hall, to discuss possibilities and hopefully come up with a way forward in Uncle's care. Would you..." Lan XiChen turned from his brother to Wei WuXian. "...Would you both like to come with me? We can share a meal and hear from Healer Zhang together."

A small but genuine smile on ruby lips greeted the adjusted request, as Wei WuXian appreciated that Lan XiChen was doing his best.

"Yes." Lan WangJi accepted for them both.

The men headed off to the Main Hall. Walking through these familiar grounds felt different to Lan WangJi today. Not only due to the emergency of his uncle's illness, but Wei WuXian was beside him this time. He had wanted that for so long, not knowing if it would ever be. Unconsciously he reached out and took Wei WuXian's hand in his own, squeezing once. Wei WuXian squeezed back and looked at Lan WangJi, marveling that of all the world, it was his hand held captive by his husband. Husband, is there a word more beautiful? he thought to himself. The wonder of it was intoxicating and he nearly skipped, losing the impulse abruptly on seeing several elders come into view on the path. It was time for the noon meal and the whole of Cloud Recesses was out, making their way to the Dining Hall.

Wei WuXian tried to pull his hand away from Lan WangJi, anxious not to disturb anyone more than necessary, but Lan WangJi simply refused to let go. Rather than struggle, Wei WuXian submitted and so the first sight Cloud Recesses had of the new couple was of their beloved HanGuang-Jun with the despised YiLing Laozu, shamelessly walking hand in hand to the Main Hall. More than a few elders turned colours their complexions had never worn before, while several of the youngest disciples raised sleeves quickly to hide faces collapsing into giggles. Lan WangJi was oblivious to the stir they created, while Wei WuXian simply set his chin higher. Stupid old men with no love in their lives, he thought. They wish! That does it. I'm not going to change who I am to suit these old stick-in-the-muds. They can just choke on what they see!

Lan XiChen made some private mental notes over the reactions, marking who had what response, knowing he had some work to do to be sure Cloud Recesses could make the adjustments necessary. He would not have his brother driven away by fools too hide-bound to accept what was none of their business.

In the Main Hall, Lan SiZhui had set places for four. Bows of welcome, a bright smile at Lan WangJi, and a shy nod to Wei WuXian were all the private greetings he allowed himself as he finished laying out the usual dull Lan meal and turned to making tea for the men. The Lan brothers and Wei WuXian were just taking their places when the door opened, and Healer Zhang entered.

"Lan WangJi. Wei WuXian." The Healer bowed politely to the men before continuing. "Oh, thank you, Sect Leader! I was so involved with the records I forgot to have any breakfast today. I appreciate your thoughtfulness!"

"Please eat," invited Lan XiChen. "We have a lot to discuss after."

The men sat in the silence customary to all Lan meals. Wei WuXian did his best, but the wrinkled nose and short look of pain at the sight of the boring food were not missed by Lan WangJi. He rummaged within one of his sleeves, and set a small bottle down beside Wei WuXian, who was masterfully trying to manage a mouthful of the plain, steamed vegetables. The tiny click was loud in the silence, and Wei WuXian took only one look, before a blinding grin of gratitude was bestowed on the quiet man beside him. Gods, is he actually perfect? He has chili sauce for me! thought Wei WuXian, as he liberally doused the innocent green and white contents of his bowl with lashings of fierce red sauce. I might even survive Lan food with this! Silently he addressed his bowl with more enthusiasm. Within minutes, the men finished eating.

Lan SiZhui quickly cleared the table, replacing the meal with fresh tea. At one point Wei WuXian looked up and caught Lan SiZhui looking at him. He gave a slow, deliberate wink and the teenager replied with a smile, before quietly leaving with the dishes.

Lan XiChen turned to the latecomer. "Healer Zhang, would you please tell us what you know? Or suspect? I'm aware this is a challenge, and more information is needed. Just please let my brother know your findings, and you can bring us all up to date together."

Healer Zhang looked at the men and began.

"Lan QiRen has suffered a Qi deviation. It isn't taking the form we are familiar with, which has me wondering about an outside influence bringing it to bear on him. The energy in his body isn't moving freely through his Meridians, and he is unable to use his Core to support a return to balance. I spent the day yesterday confirming my findings and working through every diagnostic I could think of. After that I've been going through records, trying to find something to offer a treatment. As best I can tell, the Qi is being..." his voice trailed off as he sought the right word. "The Qi is being throttled by a cloud of resentful energy. The resentful energy is seething around the Qi and encompassing the Core. Yang is being suppressed to near extinction and Yin is rampant. For the moment stasis appears to help. I review him every hour and so far there has been no change in his condition. No further energy has been detected and that already in place appears to be unchanged. Lan QiRen is holding his own, for lack of a better description. I have had to examine him with care. Every time I try to inspect the energy it seems to awaken, and the resentful aspect is very difficult to manage."

Healer Zhang paused to address his tea before continuing.

"I haven't found anything helpful regarding treatment yet, but I think I might just have thought of a way to preserve our Grandmaster while we continue to search."

Hopeful eyes clung to the Healer's face.

"The Cold Cavern," he said.

"I don't understand," said Lan XiChen. "What does the Cold Cavern have to do Lan QiRen's condition and how can it help?

"The Cold Cavern is a protected place. It has wards and enchantments that help, but it is also a natural cold spring, collecting energy from all four directions. Positive energy flows in, while negative energy is deflected elsewhere. Just as the Cold Spring above is used for Cultivation and aids in healing bodies, the energy of the Cold Cavern can help suppress the negative energy in Lan QiRen. It can help us to ensure he remains in stasis while we figure out what to do, find a cure, look for information..." the tired Healer ran his fingers roughly through his hair. "In short, it can buy us some precious time. It isn't a solution itself, but it's the beginning. It is a natural environment that will help in driving down the resentful energy, while I try to find someone who knows how on earth it got there to begin with and how to send it out!"

The two Jades looked at each other. The Cold Cavern was a near sacred place, protected by the best efforts of the strongest Cultivators in Cloud Recesses. It housed the spiritual energy that remained of their ancestors. It had successfully concealed and sequestered Yin Iron for hundreds of years. Could it also help their uncle?

"Wait a minute," interrupted Wei WuXian, looking at Lan WangJi. "That freezing cold ice cavern that sucked us down years ago? That place? You seriously want to disturb those ancestors and take a sick man down into that ice palace? How can that even be done safely? We fell in, and that water is so close to frozen it's barely liquid! How could you even get Lan QiRen down there? Let alone leave him?"

Lan XiChen raised his hands to get Wei WuXian's attention. "It's not that hard, WuXian. There is a proper access, although you had the misfortune to enjoy the scenic approach back then."

Wei WuXian pouted. "Not too darn scenic when your very bones are frozen and the punishment for breathing is inhaling ice crystals!"

"Helps how?" asked Lan WangJi.

"I'll take that one," answered Healer Zhang. "The cold will help suppress unwanted energy, but the body must be protected. If we are very careful with monitoring and make certain to keep the hands and feet in warm coverings, we can prevent damage to the body, while using the cold and the positive energy to control the negative energy. It's the only thing I can think to do. Lan QiRen is in stasis at the moment, but if something should stir up the resentful energy, he could break free at any time. Suppressing the resentful energy needs to be the priority right now, while we look for answers."

The four men sat discussing logistics for some time, with a full hour passed in planning, and finally Healer Zhang stood up with a grateful stretch.

"Thank you, Sect Leader. I'll get the Grandmaster ready to be taken to the Cold Cavern. We should be able to move him after the evening meal. I'll take some time to be sure we have the medicines and other immediate needs carefully packed up for him. If you would please see to the setting up of a space, I would be grateful. I'll take only the senior Apprentice Healers in with me. If anything should happen, I don't want any juniors to be endangered."

"Certainly," replied Lan XiChen. "WangJi, I would be grateful if you could start on the outstanding business items. I made a good start this morning but, with so many elders coming to speak with me, not enough was accomplished. Your help with this while I prepare the Cold Cavern would be appreciated."

"Of course," replied Lan WangJi.

"Can I help you set up the Cold Cavern?" asked Wei WuXian. "I want to be of use, and I'm interested to see how a hospital will be fit into it. And I'd kind of like to see a proper entrance to it myself." He shivered with remembered chill. His memory was faulty, but some of the more traumatic ones were permanently engraved.

"Certainly," agreed Lan XiChen. "You've hardly seen it and perhaps you will have suggestions. I accept your offer."

With that, the four men split up. Lan WangJi went to the table where his brother's work materials awaited further use and immediately picked up the next scroll to begin work. He looked up once to catch Wei WuXian's eye, who gave him a jaunty little wave and a grin before turning to join the other two men leaving the Main Hall. Healer Zhang stopped them once they stepped outdoors.

"One small request, please," he started, speaking to Lan XiChen. "The cold won't harm Lan QiRen if we care for him properly, and we are counting on it to keep the resentful energy in check. The rest of the Healers and disciples are just average men and will need some warmth to stay in the Cold Cavern for long. If you can prepare a chamber where they can warm up, take their rest and conduct research, it would be very helpful."

"Consider it done," said Lan XiChen and he strode away with Wei WuXian, while Healer Zhang took another path to return to his waiting patient.

The walk to the Back Mountain took some little time, and Wei WuXian was interested to note the look of Cloud Recesses on this first time back in.... gods, how long has it been? he wondered. Amazing how little has changed. Like the Gate, it all looks just the same. Same paths, same buildings, same woods, same bunnies. He stopped.

"What is it, WuXian?" asked Lan XiChen.

"So many rabbits! I remember there being perhaps a dozen altogether, but this... there must be over a hundred!" exclaimed Wei WuXian. The multitudes of white rabbits were housed in a beautiful bamboo cage along an entire side of a small clearing. A closer look revealed a low bamboo lattice, enclosing the clearing and a slice of the woods, keeping the rabbits safe from wandering. The meadow itself was generously dotted with bobbing white heads and tails, ears ducking up and down as they nibbled and munched. One bold fellow hopped right to Wei WuXian's feet and rested there a moment. It cocked its little head as if to say hello, before it hopped off again to rejoin its friends. A wonderful smile lit Wei WuXian's face as he realized how Lan WangJi must have been treasuring and protecting all these small souls, this long, lonely time. His smile faded a bit thinking of that. I hope it gave him some comfort, he thought.

"These are WangJi's pets," answered Lan XiChen. "They are precious to him and years ago Cloud Recesses finally accepted that to have my brother participate in the Sect, he needed a place like this. Before it was created, he was quite determined to pursue secluded meditation indefinitely. He often comes here when he needs rest. If he's free and not in the Jingshi, he'll be here if he's still in Cloud Recesses at all. He's taken to wandering for many months now, but if he's home, he's in the Jingshi or here."

"Wandering?", asked Wei WuXian.

"After you left, WangJi changed." Lan XiChen's voice was quiet, knowing he was sharing information his brother might wish to keep private. But his brother was married now, and of all people, surely his husband should know what his absence had wrought. "Not immediately, no. But over time the difference was profound. He declined to teach any more classes. The disciples could not interest him in their games or even sword training. He stopped attending the Training Grounds. Eventually, he no longer went to the Dining Hall, taking his meals alone in the Jingshi. Then he started wandering. He'd leave early in the morning and be gone all day. I followed him once, concerned that he never spoke of what he was doing, but what was there to speak of? He simply walked the countryside the entire day. When he was home, he was with the rabbits or in the Jingshi. He never said a word, but I could see the silence simply filling up his soul. He lost weight and stopped talking. There were many days I never heard his voice at all." Lan XiChen stopped, his throat closing with the relived sorrow of watching his little brother sink into himself. "I started to wonder if I'd lose him, too."

Wei WuXian turned eyes dark with pain toward the Jade so visible grieved. Lan XiChen gave himself a small shake. "But I'm certain now that he's no longer in danger. When he made his stand at the Gate, I knew he had found what he was seeking in all his wandering, what he needed to give him his voice again."

The two men looked out over the rabbits, and the sunny, delightful sight soothed the thoughts of them both, each vowing that Lan WangJi would never feel alone again.

Lan XiChen watched an unguarded Wei WuXian, looking at the rabbits. Something he saw in that mobile face, the expressions chasing across it, reassured him. WangJi will be alright, thought Lan XiChen. If Wei WuXian understands the rabbits, it will all be alright. Clearing his throat, Lan XiChen recalled Wei WuXian's attention and indicated the path. "Shall we continue?" he asked.

Wei WuXian stood a moment longer, before dragging eyes dark with pain and remembered loss back to those of Lan XiChen. Amber and silver spoke a joint vow, words unnecessary, and reached silent agreement to guard Lan WangJi above and against all.

"Yes, please," a hoarse voice broke the silence.