((The song, Blood Upon the Snow, by Bear McCreary and Hozier, from the God of War: Ragnarok video game, is the inspiration for this story and title.))

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"Gege, I am needed at Ghost City," Hua Cheng said, "Yin Yu is calling for me."

"Am I able to go with you?" Xie Lian asked.

"I suppose you can, it is your home now too," Hua Cheng said.

The two left Puqi Shrine and entered Ghost City. There was a commotion at the front entrance of Paradise Manor. Xie Lian and Hua Cheng made their way over and saw a young man laying on the ground. He was covered in blood and dirt and tears stained his face. Xie Lian was the first to get a closer look at the young man.

"A'Ying?" He questioned, "how did he get here?"

"I am not sure, but let's get him inside and have him checked over. He is very injured," Hua Cheng said. Yin Yu, Hua Cheng's subordinate, came out and picked up the young man and took him inside. Xie Lian checked the man's vitals and his eyes widened.

"How did this happen?" Xie Lian questioned.

"What is it GeGe?" Hua Cheng asked.

"His golden core is gone...without it he cannot complete his trial," Xie Lian said and watched a healer check over the man's body, "he also had so many broken bones, and is covered in injuries? What happened to him?"

Hua Cheng was now a bit confused himself, "how did he get to this state?" He asked Yin Yu furiously.

"We've had your butterflies following him, only you would know," Yin Yu told him.

"I asked you personally to watch over our son!" He said angrily, "now what happened.

"His heavenly calamity...it was as if it was altered. He was not supposed to be in this condition. A lot has happened," Yin Yu said.

"Since you were with him, I want every single detail," Hua Cheng said, "you could only watch from the sidelines like us but you were supposed to let us know if something goes wrong. So I ask you again, what happened to get him in this situation?"

"The cultivation world stood against him because he wanted to save innocent people. The Jiang's...he was living in their care and he was exiled from the clan. He gave his golden core to Jiang's youngest son when he lost his."

"Start from the beginning," Xie Lian demanded, "our son is severely injured and he gave up something vital. San Lang and I are going to get that back, but we need to know everything."

Yin Yu sighed, "of course, for his trial he went down to the mortal realm, calling himself Wei Wuxian as he was instructed. Claimed he was Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren's son. The Jiang's overhead when he saved a couple disciples from a couple Yao beasts. Sect Leader Jiang took him in and named him head disciple as a reward. Sect Leader Jiang's wife, Yu Ziyuan, was not a nice person. She scolded A'Xian at any given opportunity. After living there for four months, the family got an invitation to a lecture being held at the Gusu Lan Sect. The young son, Jiang Cheng, and A'Xian went to attend. There, A'Xian met some new friends. One of them...I think he might have some interest in..."

"Interest, as in, Love interest?" Hua Cheng asked.

Yin Yu nodded, "his name was Lan Wangji, Second Young Master of the Gusu Lan Sect. His brother was the sect leader of the Lan Sect. A'Xian and Jiang Cheng somehow lost their invitation so A'Xian went to go backtrack and find it. He returned after curfew was set and broke through their wards. Lan Wangji caught him, and said A'Xian broke some rules. Breaking curfew, breaking the wards, bringing alcohol inside the sect as it was forbidden, and then he tried to bribe Lan Wangji to let him go. It did not work so A'Xian was punished."

"Just get on with where it goes wrong?" Hua Cheng said as he was getting impatient.

"I saw that he and Lan Wangji were set to look for some sort of items, the Yin Iron. One piece was already in the hands of Wen Ruohan but Wangji and A'Xian looked for the others before the Wen Sect found the others. The did not succeed as someone got them first. Wangji and A'Xian went their separate ways. It was then that Wangji's sect was ambushed by the Wen Sect and the Wens took took the yin shard the Lan's had. Jiang Cheng and A'Xian went to an indoctrination at Qishan. Wangji was dragged there after his home was ambushed and his leg was broken.

The Wen sect took everyone's swords and they went on a night hunt a couple days later. Wangji and A'Xian got trapped together in a cave with Xuanwu the Slaughter," Yin Yu explained, "they got the others out but Wangji and A'Xian were trapped. The two killed Xuanwu but then A'Xian got sick. They were rescued and Lotus Pier was ambush was a couple weeks later. Only Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng, and A'Xian survived. They went into hiding. Jiang Yanli was sick so A'Xian left to get her medicine but when he returned, Jiang Cheng was not there. Jiang Cheng stepped out and was captured by Wen Chao..."

Yin Yu was cut off by a soft groan, "A'Ying?" Xie Lian said.

"Baba?" He said softly.

Xie Lian let out a soft sigh, "You are alive, what happened?"

"I tried Baba, I tried to save innocent people and I became an outcast for it. I became an outcast because I can use dark energy," A'Ying said, "I am sorry...I failed."

"You did not fail, your trial is still going, technically, but it seems that it was altered. You are not supposed to lose your main source of energy. Your core is not supposed to be with someone else," Xie Lian said.

"They needed it to run a sect, otherwise they would be mediocre. Their own core was crushed by a man named Wen Zhuliu. I had to do something. What else could I have done?" A'Ying asked.

"Reach out to us. There are some things we can help you with but this core has to be given back. Who is it and we will get it back," Xie Lian said.

"They don't deserve to have it anymore, he tried to kill me as it is. As compensation I want it back and he shall suffer the proper fate he was given," A'Ying said.

"Alright," Xie Lian said, "what happened though, we need to know everything?"

A'Ying told them everything. (The timeline for MDZS; novel and TV Show, Untamed; up until Wei Wuxian falls from the cliff.) A'Ying spoke of the Wen Remnants and how he tried to save them. How a war broke out just because of their name. A'Ying explained how certain people died because of him and he feels like they were not supposed to die.