Wei Wuxian wasn't certain what he had expected to happen when they reached Cloud Recesses. Being beset by an angry mob perhaps? That wouldn't be very Lan-like. Although, the GusuLan sect had been part of the mob that attacked him in the Burial Mounds. So maybe that wasn't so ridiculous of a concern?

Wei Wuxian had definitely expected to have at least one person demanding they lock him up in the Mingshi while they purged all the evil out of him. Or something like that anyway. He expected angry elders demanding Wei Wuxian be thrown out of the Cloud Recesses. He absolutely expected to be accosted. Maybe it would be by the cultivators who had fought beside him and witnessed the wickedness of his cultivation? Probably by elders who could not tolerate Wei Wuxian's corruption infecting their sect.

Lan Qiren was actually first on Wei Wuxian's list of people that he expected to decry him for his immoral practices. Wei Wuxian could easily imagine Lan Qiren banishing him from the Cloud Recesses and scribing a new rule onto their Wall of Discipline. 'Do not interact with Wei Wuxian,' or something similar to that.

At minimum Wei Wuxian expected a heated lecture about the corrupting influence of resentful energy. He could practically hear the angry outrage or Lan Qiren's voice as he condemned Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian assumed that was a leftover from his early interaction with Lan Qiren when Wei Wuxian was being an obnoxious teenager. He assumed Lan Qiren probably hated him and found him immoral, but Wei Wuxian hadn't actually talked to Lan Qiren after he started using demonic cultivation. Why would he? Lan Qiren had reacted violently when Wei Wuxian suggested the idea as a student. He couldn't imagine Lan Qiren would become welcoming when Wei Wuxian made that heresy a reality.

Wei Wuxian's expectations were decidedly not met. Instead of being thrown out, imprisoned, or scolded until his ears bled; everyone in the GusuLan sect seemed to be treating him like this was normal? They at least seemed to be bizarrely calm about having a demonic cultivator in their midst. Wei Wuxian was doubly surprised when his family was accepted with reactions varying from neutral all the way to enthusiastic.

The GusuLan sect had held a banquet the week after they were back. Wei Wuxian had managed to sit through the entire duration without freaking out, which was a major accomplishment for him. He hadn't been able to tolerate banquets or large meetings in Nightless city for very long. Too many cultivators in the room with him had left him an anxious mess. His instincts screaming about the danger of being surrounded while his mind started mixing up the past/future with the present.

Maybe because it was only GusuLan sect cultivators present? They were a minority of the cultivators who joined the siege of the Burial Mounds. Them and the QingheNie sect might as well have not been there with the forces brought by YunmengJiang and LanlingJin. That still stung, the fact that YunmengJiang had committed more strongly to his death than everyone except the Jin. Although, with what happened to Jiang Yanli... perhaps Wei Wuxian had earned that ire.

In the weeks that followed the DafanWei's were settled into their own residences. Those who practised medicine were currently being integrated into the infirmary staff. Wei Qing was in the process of putting together a proposal for a series of classes on medical cultivation. Wei Wuxian wasn't certain the last time he had seen her engage in something with such focused enthusiasm. Wei Qing wasn't grinning and bouncing around the way Wei Wuxian would have, but there was a quiet pleased expression on her face.

The GusuLan sect seemed to have taken well to the former Wen's,much to Wei Wuxian's surprise. Lan Zhi was frequently found discussing the plans for the large medical garden with Popo and Si-shu. Wen Qionglin frequently joined them when he was not working in the infirmary. San-yi was working through the GusuLan sects medical techniques in order to identify differences between the knowledge and practices. This would ultimately lead to an integration of the knowledge and practices between the two families. The first application being the proposal Wei Qing was working on.

It seemed like everyone was settling in, figuring out where they fit. Nuan-er was old enough to start attending lessons with the littlest Lans. She was decidedly not thrilled with the idea. For all the improvements they'd made in her being able to tolerate not being with her chosen parents... It was apparently a step too far to ask her to both be away from A-Yuan and to entrust herself to strangers.

Wei Wuxian couldn't fault her for her apprehension. He was an adult and he was, somewhat, avoiding interacting with the wider GusuLan sect. Wei Wuxian spent most of his time in the Jingshi or with the rest of the Wei's. It wasn't as though he never went anywhere else in Cloud Recesses. It was just... easier to stay in the territory that few GusuLan sect members would visit.

No one in the GusuLan sect had threatened him. So that was going better than Wei Wuxian had feared. There might have been one or two dirty looks or less than friendly comments, but they were nothing compared to what Wei Wuxian had expected. Wei Wuxian had very much expected Lan Qiren to chase him out of Cloud Recesses as soon as he arrived.

To Wei Wuxian's surprise, Lan Qiren had been... fine? They didn't really talk. Wei Wuxian never expected them to. When Wei Wuxian thought about conversing with Lan Qiren he could only picture lecturing and arguing. Lectures about what Wei Wuxian had done wrong. Arguing, because Wei Wuxian was never one to simply accept what others told him about how things work.

Wei Wuxian really felt like any conversation he had with Lan Qiren should feature some kind of arguing. So the exchange of pleasantries when they happened to interact felt weird. Weirder, Wei Wuxian was almost certain that Lan Qiren's 'resting disapproving face' had become significantly less disapproving. Which made no sense to Wei Wuxian, but there were times Wei Wuxian could have sworn that Lan Qiren's expression was only stern and not disapproving.

Wei Wuxian was still anxious. He still felt like he might be banished from the sect at any moment. Lan Wangji knew Wei Wuxian was still anxious about it and was being the wonderful supportive man that he was. Wei Wuxian didn't want to disappoint him. As much as Lan Wangji seemed to think he could be happy with an arrangement other than the two of them in Cloud Recesses, Wei Wuxian didn't want to ask Lan Wangji to make that sacrifice.

There was no home in Lotus Pier for Wei Wuxian anymore. Jiang Wanyin hadn't said anything when Wei Wuxian informed him he would be going back to Cloud Recesses with Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian didn't know if Jiang Wanyin still blamed him for Lotus Pier, or what happened to Madam Yu and Jiang Fengmian. Jiang Yanli didn't blame him, but she also understood that Lotus Pier hadn't been a safe place for him for a long time. She would never ask him to leave, but she would also never insist he stay.

Wei Wuxian had no home to lose by staying in Cloud Recesses, but Lan Wangji had lived in the Cloud Recesses his entire life. This place was his home and these people his family. Wei Wuxian couldn't imagine that leaving it wouldn't hurt for Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian didn't lie about how he was feeling, but he tried to push himself as best as he could.

Wei Wuxian agreed that they should consult a fortune teller to set the date for the wedding. He hoped the wedding might make him feel different. Maybe he needed the official designation of being Lan Wangji's husband and being written into the sect records, Maybe that would be what made Wei Wuxian believe it wasn't all going to disappear. The fortune teller gave them a date five months out.

"I regret everything. I should have just asked Lan Zhan to elope." Wei Wuxian mumbled into the table when Lan Wangji gave him the news.

Wei Wuxian had been pushing off setting a date for their wedding as much as possible. Now that he had agreed to set the date, he wanted it to happen sooner. It was like there was a countdown in Wei Wuxian's head. The days slowly ticked by, and every day between now to the wedding was one more day that everything could go wrong.

After a week Wei Wuxian was practically climbing the walls with nervous energy. He busied himself with his projects and with trying to help Nuan-er acclimatize to classes. He had some success when he finally got the nerve to sit in on the class with her. Wei Wuxian had been worried about suggesting it. He wasn't certain his presence would be welcome, or possibly even tolerable for the instructor.

It was definitely disruptive at first. Wei Wuxian was a new person in the classroom, and not just a new kid either. Lan Wangji had spoken with the instructor the day before regarding the situation. There wasn't a rule against observing a class, but Lan Wangji was aware that Wei Wuxian was still nervous interacting with the sect in general. It was simple enough to discuss this while also briefing the instructor on Nuan-er's situation. Nuan-er was likely to need accommodations besides those for attendance, and it would be easier for everyone involved if that was clarified in advance.

They started with attending for only a few hours together. Slowly lengthening the times until Nuan-er was regularly tolerating the schedule for the little Lans. They, thankfully, did not start class as early as the older disciples. Then Wei Wuxian started having Nuan-er do part of the day on her own.

Eventually they settled into a routine that managed to get Nuan-er through daily lessons. Wei Wuxian would accompany Nuan-er to her lessons in the morning. He'd assist the instructor from time to time. Something Wei Wuxian was nervous about initially, but which the instructor seemed happy with. Wei Wuxian had always loved working with the younger disciples. The younger the better.

Sometimes Wei Wuxian brought A-Yuan with as well. A-Yuan was too young for the lessons, but he was mostly happy to play with his toys and be held. Nuan-er was a very proud big sister. Where she had been hesitant to introduce herself to her classmates, she had boldly introduced her didi to every single one of them. Wei Wuxian was always mindful of taking charge of A-Yuan's needs whenever Nuan-er behavior started to slip from older sister to mothering.

Wei Wuxian stayed for lunch with Nuan-er's class initially, leaving afterwards so she could stay in lessons by herself for the afternoon. He was slowly working on leaving at the start of lunch time. If Wei Wuxian had spent the morning with A-Yuan in tow, then he would take him to Popo and the other's for the afternoon. He'd visit with them for a bit, and help put A-Yuan down for his nap. Then Wei Wuxian would spend the afternoon on whatever project he was working on at the moment.

Afternoons were usually spent in the Jingshi, but sometimes Wei Wuxian needed the library. On the days when he didn't have A-Yuan in the morning he might spend the afternoon with him and the Wei's. Sometimes Lan Wangji would be busy. He had begun picking up duties to assist Lan Xichen. Many times Lan Wangji would spend the afternoon with Wei Wuxian, sometimes while reviewing nighthunt reports. Sometimes Lan Wangji would tend to A-Yuan in the afternoons while keeping Wei Wuxian company.

It was a routine. It was working for the time being, even if Wei Wuxian still felt wrong footed within Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian wished he could shake the feeling of being out of place. The anxiety that haunted his steps made it difficult to feel secure. Wei Wuxian did his best. He worked on his projects. He ate all his meals. He let Lan Wangji hold him and calm him when his anxiety became too much.

Wei Wuxian was, possibly unreasonably, proud of himself for how well he was keeping it together. The temptation to fall back into unhealthy behaviours was there. The urge to not be a burden scraped against honestly explaining how he was feeling. The anxiety that he would become too much contradicting asking Lan Wangji for what he needed, whether it be affection or reassurance.

Unfortunately, no matter how good he had been at asking for help and keeping to a routine, some days just sucked. Nuan-er had an ear infection. Nuan-er adored both of them, but sometimes when she was distressed, only Wei Wuxian would do. Wei Wuxian had been up with her most of the night. She finally got to sleep all of thirty minutes before the Lan rising time.

Lan Wangji had asked Wei Wuxian what he needed, and then made it happen. He arranged for A-Yuan to spend the next couple days with Popo and the others. It would both make it easier for A-Yuan to rest and relieve some of the stress from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji made arrangements for breakfast and lunch. He even offered to stay with Wei Wuxian for the day, but Wei Wuxian turned him down.

Mostly what Wei Wuxian wanted was some sleep. Wei Qing had given them medicine for Nuan-er and told them Nuan-er would probably sleep for most of the day. So Wei Wuxian figured he could take a nap and find something to work on in the Jingshi. Lan Wangji eventually agreed after Wei Wuxian gave him a talisman that would alert him if Wei Wuxian needed anything.

Wei Wuxian attempted to sleep. Attempt, being the key word. Wei Wuxian woke repeatedly, nightmares blurring with memories. The images of watching his family die overlapping with the image of Nuan-er, cold and dead. Wei Wuxian did not try to go back to sleep after that. He checked on Nuan-er, reminding himself that she was alive. Nuan-er was sick, but Wei Qing insisted that ear infections were very common for young children.

Wei Wuxian repeated to himself that there was nothing to worry about and looked for something to occupy his mind. He had been stuck on his current talisman project. He would need to visit the library to make progress on it. That was decidedly not an option today. Plan B then.

Wei Wuxian had continued to offer his assistance with the cursed objects that had been claimed from Nightless city. Wei Wuxian had enjoyed working on them while they were in Qishan. They made for decent busy work, or occasionally an interesting puzzle. Since it was a hassle to transport them, Wei Wuxian was only given a few at a time, and they usually gave him ones that other cultivators hadn't been able to figure out. It made it more likely he would get an interesting puzzle instead of busy work. Wei Wuxian could already feel his mood brightening at the prospect.

Wei Wuxian opened the warded box on the Jingshi's porch. They used it specifically for this purpose. Only four people could open it, allowing a safe place for new objects to be dropped off where they wouldn't be accidentally picked up by someone who was none the wiser. Three pouches covered in sealing talismans sat in the box. Wei Wuxian picked on at random and went back inside.

Wei Wuxian carefully set up containment arrays around his work area. He attached a talisman to himself that would alert Lan Wangji if he was injured or fell unconscious. Wei Wuxian thought it was excessively sensitive, but Lan Wangji had won that argument. Lan Wangji, the supposedly stoic Second Jade, had the most devastatingly adorable pout. It was entirely unfair.

Wei Wuxian opened the pouch. The first thing he removed was a piece of paper that summarized what was currently known about the object. The object was apparently a light-transmitting mirror. They were able to detect the energy of some sort of curse on it, but none of the standard procedures had triggered it. Wei Wuxian carefully tipped the mirror out onto the table. The only abnormality noted was that the pattern on the back of the mirror did not match the image that the mirror would project. Which was a first that Wei Wuxian had ever heard of.

Wei Wuxian ran through the standard dispelling and safe triggering methods. They claimed they did all of them, but most of the cultivators working on this project were from the LanlingJin sect. Wei Wuxian didn't necessarily believe them when they said they had done everything already.

Wei Wuxian examined the back of the mirror. The design was that of a Buddha, but they had noted that the projected image was different. Wei Wuxian adjusted a light talisman to create a particularly bright light. Wei Wuxian was temporarily blinded. He might have gone overkill on the adjustment for that talisman.

The mirror flashed, reflecting the too bright light as Wei Wuxian adjusted to see where the reflection would cast the light. Wei Wuxian saw a brief image of concentric circles filled with symbols. There was a swooping feeling in Wei Wuxian's stomach, like dropping down fast while in flight and another flash of blinding light.

Light-transmitting mirror (Tòu guāng jìng): Usually translated as Magic Mirrors. I used the literal translation. I felt it made more sense in a fantasy setting to distinguish it from actual spellwork.

These mirrors have a pattern on the back and the front is a polished reflective surface. When strong light is shined on them they will reflect the pattern onto the back in light onto a surface. It makes it look like the raised design on the back is being projected through the mirror, as though the metal is transparent.