Lan Wangji frowned as he sat beside Wei Wuxian. Jiang Fengmian ditched his grand Lotus seat and sat across the table from the couple. "A-Xian, tea."

Wei Wuxian pleaded with his eyes to Fengmian, who paid no heed. Surrendering, Wei Wuxian poured out tea for three.

"Now then. A-Xian."

"Jiang Shushu, could you tell?"

"..."

"Please?"

"A-Xian–"

"I can't, Shushu, please..."

Lan Zhan could see his shivering hands, trembling frame, dancing Adam's apple. He reached over and grabbed both shaking hands, clasping them in his own, folding his fingers around the sweaty palms. "There's nothing Wei Ying can't tell me."

Wei Wuxian flinched. Lan Zhan... darling please, the last thing I need is your love right now, I can't take it, please...

"A-Xian," Jiang Fengmian called out in as soothing a voice as he could. "I think it's your duty to tell. Not mine."

"But Shushu, don't you see? I can't!"

"I don't. I don't see. What I do see, is the trust in his eyes."

Wei Wuxian gulped as he gazed into Lan Zhan's golden orbs, damp icy sheen full of warm faith.

A warmth Wei Wuxian couldn't afford in this state of mind.

He gently slipped his hands away, placed the hands on Lan Zhan's lap, patted them lightly and quickly scuttled out the room.

Once outside the hall, he stopped at the door. He turned to his left and slammed his back on the wall outside, leaning, taking deep breaths.

"A-Xian?"

"A-Cheng!" Wei Wuxian shrieked and flung himself into Jiang Wanyin's chest, hugging hm tight. His pursed lips began to tremble, shivering frame shook faster. The enduring pretence shattered and tears flowed out as he sobbed uncontrollably into his shidi's violet robes.

Jiang Cheng's eyes grew rounder by the minute. "What on earth is going on? Did you and Lan Wangji break up?"

"What?" Sniff! "No!"

"Then what?"

"Shushu."

"What about A-Die?"

"Shushu's telling—" Sniff! "—him."

"Telling who? Lan Wangji?"

"Hm."

"About what?"

"...the curse."

**********

"Sect Leader Jiang?"

Jiang Fengmian sipped his tea coolly. "Lan Wangji, don't go after him. Let him be. He really can't bear to tell you this, I guess."

"What is it?"

"Hm," he sighed and placed the teacup down. "Tell me, boy. Have you heard of what happened to A-Xian's parents?" 

"Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze? Lost their lives on a night hunt."

"Mhm. And Wei Changze was how old?"

"..."

"Twenty-three. They married at eighteen and A-Xian was born a year later–"

"Wei Ying was four when they left him," Lan Zhan nodded, memory of the story of the once amazing-and-loving rogue cultivator couple returning.

"Exactly. You see, Lan Wangji... Wei Changze died at twenty-three. His father, Wei Chao, died at twenty. Changze's grandfather, Old Wei died at twenty-nine."

"..."

"Same for Changze's great-grandfather. Twenty-nine."

"... it's... a pattern..."

"Which is?"

"None of them... lived to see age thirty?"

"Precisely."

Lan Wangji gulped. "But... why?"

"Now this is a long story..." Lan Zhan stared without blinking, and Fengmian nodded understandingly. "Fine then. Years ago, not too long ago, just a couple of decades... a rogue cultivator of the Wei family was said to have been roaming the snow-capped mountains along Sichuan, right outside your Gusu. There, deep in one icy cave where he took shelter for the night, he was said to have found a beast. They doubt it was a bear or anything because the Wei couldn't attack it at all. Instead, the beast struck him and he was knocked out cold. But he woke up in that same cave around a rekindled fire, to find someone had slaughtered the beast and saved his life. The saviour turned out to be an old haggish woman staying there, he called her a witch. She said she used her powers to kill the thing. And in return, she wanted whatever he most treasured in return."

Lan Zhan frowned. This wasn't sounding any good at all... "Something equal in worth to his life?"

"Because she saved his life. Yes, correct. He said he had nothing back then, so the witch gave him time. Later the old Wei fellow had a family, wife, kids, all of it. Something had happened to that witch and she demanded his reward. She needed it fast. Of course, all that he valued as much as his life was his family — which he wouldn't give for a king's ransom. The witch came that night to abduct his eldest child. But the man caught her while she was entering and shot a fire arrow. And this is the bad part. That damned old woman cursed him. She cursed him to never see the day he turns thirty, and may the same go for his children. Catch is... by children..." Fengmian pursed his lips and looked down.

"She meant the entire bloodline."

"Mhm. Most of the Wei family's deaths occurred at nineteen, or twenty-nine. The typical unlucky ages. Wei Changze died at twenty-three, six years before he expected to, and Ziyuan keeps saying it's because of the child. Only because Changze's father died at twenty-five right after having him."

"Is that why Madam Yu hates Wei Ying?"

Jiang Fengmian nodded. "Cangse and she were best of friends, the four of us were pretty close. Not forgetting Madam Jin, Qingheng-Jun and Lan Qiren."

"But... if there is such a curse and Wei Ying knows about it, why not tell me?"

"Because this involves you. Child. Have you heard of core-binding?"

Lan Zhan nodded. 

"Cangse and Changze were so in love their cores actually bound. You know how it is. If one dies, the other is bound to follow. The Weis are the most loyal sort of people. Why else would I have Changze as my right-hand man? And when in love, a Wei's heart can be the purest, most faithful one ever. Everyone knows the purest of cultivator romances lead to core-binding. Not just Changze, but even his grandfather, Old Wei, had core-bound with his wife. Those two died early too, together." Jiang Fengmian paused for a breath and sipped some tea before continuing. "Now do you see A-Xian's problem? He knows he treasures you and obviously knows you care for him too. He also knows his family's history of pure-romantics and doesn't want to take the risk of core-binding with you. And also knowing his family history of one's time shortening when one has a complete family — spouse and kids — he probably came to see me out of desperation."

"Sect Leader Jiang. Just because A-Yuan is his child now, he need not panic right now since he still has years before he even turns twenty..."

"Child, did you not listen well?"

Lan Wangji blinked thrice.

"The curse is to die before thirty. The Weis pass away at either twenty-nine. Or nineteen."

"Nineteen... that's next year..." Lan Zhan's eyes kept turning rounder and larger and more and more terrified. "But if having a family speeds it up..."

"Then it is most likely this year."

"What!"

"Do you understand his problem now?"

"Sect Leader–"

"Just call me what he does." 

Lan Wangji nodded once. Any other time, he would have felt happy to hear that request. "Jiang Shushu. Isn't there any way to break the curse?"

Jiang Fengmian watched Lan Wangji's expressions for quite some time. He observed his face and pleading eyes, before looking away with a sigh and sipping some tea.

"You dare to scorch my sacred soul?

Dare you to follow my path to hell

For a talisman of blood to break the spell.

Never may your blood run for thirty years whole."

Lan Zhan frowned, wondering what old Fengmian was saying. "Pardon?"

"That's the curse she cast."

Lan Zhan's eyes lit up. Perfect. Now to decode it.

'Dare to scorch my sacred soul' would be her rhetorically shrieking out of anger at the fire arrow.

'Dare you to follow my path to hell'... die with her?

'For a talisman of blood'.............. not a clue.

'Never may your blood run for thirty years whole' would be the curse. Nobody of Wei blood to live beyond thirty years.

But the two lines in the middle...

"The first and last are obvious, but the middle lines are confusing, eh?" Jiang Fengmian asked.

Lan Wangji nodded. "Talisman of blood?"

"A talisman written in blood. Referred to in short as a blood talisman."

Lan Zhan gawked at his words. "What? Blood talisman? That would be..."

"Demonic cultivation. Yes. That's the twist here. Follow her path to hell was ambiguous. It meant both death and the unorthodox path. Demonic cultivation. If we are to rely on what she said here, then it means A-Xian giving it all up to turn to demonic cultivation would work. That Wei back then wouldn't give what was worth his life, so now some Wei has to give their life up to take over that woman's unorthodox methods. That's what I understand from this."

"Will demonic cultivation save him?"

"Mhm. It must be the way. Both him and all Weis hereafter."

"Then if I pursue it and find some talisman or whatever to help break the curse?"

"Lan Wangji!" Jiang Fengmian sighed. "Doesn't matter, it won't work anyway. Has to be the Wei themselves. They've tried before you know?"

Lan Wangji was more curious than ever now so Fengmian continued.

"Name the two demonic cultivators known in all of China's history."

"We've learnt of Xia Xiaoning. Decades ago, but... she died young too? And she wasn't a Wei."

"Books don't tell the full story, child," Fengmian smiled. "Xia Xiaoning, first demonic cultivator ever. She was the founder, more or less. Xia Xiaoning was Wei Fengteng's wife. She tried to save him when he was unwilling, but her practising demonic cultivation perhaps only sped up the death. Her physique weakened, and those two were core-bound so..."

Lan Zhan poured more tea and Fengmian nodded his gratitude. "I understand. But Jiang Shushu, we never studied about the second one. All I know is that there were two, that too thanks to the Forbidden Section."

"Nothing much to know about him, all you need to know is he wasn't a Wei or related to a Wei, nothing related to this."

"Oh. Then..."

"What you DO need to know, is that that boy died very young. Not for a curse, but because the demonic cultivation killed him."

Lan Zhan's jaw dropped.

"Yes. Demonic cultivation is deadly. In two ways. It can kill others. But it can also kill the cultivator. If not controlled, the dark energy will rot away the golden core."

Lan Wangji nodded. "I know. It affects physical and temperamental health, for that reason."

"Well then. That's all I have to say. A-Xian fears his time is near, and he doesn't want you being hurt in any way. And he might be scared for A-Yuan. Adopted or not, who knows? So protect that boy, will you, Wangji?"

"I'll protect them both." Lan Wangji stood up. "As long as I can. Thank you, Jiang Shushu," he bowed low and walked out of the hall.

Jiang Fengmian stood at the door, breathing in the lotus scent from the ponds, the fresh Yunmeng air. As long as you can, Wangji? So you're going with him? Together, eh?

....... Fine. I can't stop you anyway.

Qingheng-Jun, ah, Qingheng-Jun, why is your son like you... desperate and relentless when in love? Why...

Oh God. Qiren is going to kill me if he finds out Wangji knows.

Fengmian shook his head miserably and shuffled back to his hall. 

**********

"Aish, calm down, will you?" Jiang Wanyin patted his brother's back.

Wei Wuxian sniffled. "I'm trying... and I'm calm, I'm just dying bit by bit inside... A-Cheng, how am I supposed to face him? Either he'll risk it all for me, or he'll keep his distance from me for his sake. I don't want him doing either! What am I to do now?" Wei Wuxian tumbled, hugging his knees.

"Keep his distance from you? Excuse me, have you not even been paying attention to how he treats you, goddammit?"

"I know, I know, I was just saying..." he sighed. "A-Cheng."

"Hm?"

"Should anything happen... because it will... I'm not too sure if Lan Zhan will hold on. So I need your help. If Lan Zhan doesn't seem able to take care of A-Yuan out of grief or something... just... don't abandon my baby, will you? Send my little sweetheart to Shijie? Tell her to look after him? Can you do that?"

"A-Xian, look, nothing will–"

"A-Cheng. Please. Promise."

Jiang Wanyin sighed. "It's fine, A-Xian. All of this is a dream. We'll wake up one day and find everything was as it was before and nothing went wrong and life is perfect."

Wei Wuxian blinked. "Why so delusional, A-Cheng? What are you running away from? Why not face the problem headfirst?"

"If it hurts so much you're going to lose your mind if you do? Then what? You still want me to face things headfirst?"

Wei Wuxian rubbed his eyes. "We're both a mess, aren't we?"

"Mhm."

"What happened? Speaking of dreams... saw something? Why so depressed?"

Jiang Cheng nodded.

"Dream?"

"Nightmare."

"Your shixiong's all ears." 

**********

Last night... far far away in a dark Dreamland...

**********

Water.

Running water.

Soft and harsh. Sparkly and yet empty. Warm but ice-cold. Floating but rushing.

Such a two-faced thing it could be, water.

The river sprinted past his feet restlessly, slipping over the rocks, carrying the autumn leaves drifting around on its surface, chasing after the wind. A clear river chasing a winter breeze.

"Ah, you came."

At the sound of the light-hearted, gentle voice ringing in his ears, he turned around. There stood a tall and graceful figure with his back to him, pearl-white robes flapping in the drifting wind, shimmering jade flute glowing in his right hand.

"Xichen?"

The man turned around, a brilliant and heart-melting smile on his face. At first, all he saw was sunshine. All he felt was warmth. Gentle and caressing. And then suddenly, that smile hit him like a dagger. The gentle warmth rose and began to scorch him inside. Sure, he was standing ankle-deep in the cold river, but it was burning inside. Blazing, flaring, searing...

All at once, the smiling beam of sunshine in human form turned away and began walking deeper into the forest. He seemed to be calling for someone else... smiling for someone else...

The fire in the man standing barefoot in the water in purple robes began to soar higher. "Xichen! XICHEN!" He began running, dashing, sprinting, chasing desperately after the man in white. But then he felt something strange. His feet weren't moving. Nor was his body. But the world around him was. The world was going... up?

Or perhaps... he was sinking? The base of the river was... quicksand?

"Xichen! Xichen, no!" Don't leave me... don't... please...

And just like, the 'rising' world went black.