There were purple whip scars all over the boy's back.

"Wei Ying..." he said softly, as if he was afraid the boy will break.....which he is! Literally! If Wei Wuxian wasn't important or if he didn't know the future he would have long gone to Lotus Pier declaring war for hurting his beloved!

He could feel the other shudder, Lan Wangji sighed as he took some of the cold pond water and placed it on the other's back. he could see that some of the Zidian marks have been reopened...last timeline he had 300 hits along with him.

He did not want to know how much pain the other had been in while he was being a total jerk.

He wanted to slap his past self.

"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready yet."

Wei Wuxian nodded "Thanking him"

Lan Wangji wouldn't force him but he felt like he should share something from his side.

"Is it fine if I tell you about my mother?" Lan Wangji asked which caught Wei

Wuxian's attention.

"If that's fine with you." he didn't want to pry "Nonsense, if it wasn't fine then I

wouldn't ask."

He carefully washed the other's wounds with the water of the cold spring as he talked.

"My mother was framed of murder." he started "We were told she killed an elder but she refuses to answer why she did so, until her death no one knew why."

"She was sentenced to death until, father went up and tied his forehead ribbon to her, wrist and another to his, which represents an engagement."

"Is that what your ribbons stands for?" Wei Wuxian asked and Lan Wangji blinked in shock 'You copied the rules and you don't know!? Maybe that was why you kept on asking for it last timeline, and why you pulled it out.' he realizes.

"The ribbon symbolizes restraint, only family and spouse are allowed to touch it." he explained 'Obviously you're allowed.'

"Your future spouse will be lucky." the other grumbled and hohoho is that jealousy Lan Wangji hears?? He internally smirked to himself 'My soulmate, beloved, please stay near me.' he thought to himself.

"Anyway, continue on your story." Lan Wangji blinked and continued "He married mother but both went onto lifelong seclusion, brother and I then came in the picture, we were only allowed to see her once a month."

"That's outrageous!" Wei Wuxian yelled.

"Loud noise is forbidden, but no one's here so I'll let that as-pass." he cleared his throat at the slip but the other didn't notice it.

"You can't just separate a mother from their child! What about your..." Wei Wuxian trailed of, it was cute seeing him concerned if he might break through a line.

"I have never met my father, I didn't wish to see him." Lan Wangji looked away "You should try to visit him." Lan Wangji looked at Wei Wuxian who turned and met his eyes.

"It could give you a chance, some children don't have father's, if you don't like how the meeting with your father went, then it's fine if you do not wish to see him again." Wei Wuxian patted his shoulder.

"Mother would have liked you."

This caught Wei Wuxian off-guard "She's shameless and loves to tease, you both would get along just well."

Wei Wuxian beamed "I would have loved to meet her!"

'Mother would have loved you as her son-in-law' he could only imagine.

—————————

After the talk, it was time for lunch, Lan Wangji usually eats in his own quarters with his brother sometimes joining him.

Unfortunately for him his brother decided to join him because of the cold pool incident and would like to know the details, so after the two were done eating and were now drinking tea, the older Lan spoke.

"You've been in there for 2 hours, I believe I sent Wei-gongzi over there an hour after you were in there."

'Brother Last timeline it only took you 15 minutes, what took you so long!? Is this the infamous butterfly effect!?'

Lan Wangji closed his eyes and huffed "Promised not to tell."

Lan Xichen pouted at his brother before sighing "I apologize for not pairing you with Wei-gongzi, but I could not help it as it was the rush of the moment."

"Brother is forgiven."

"Aiyahh Wangji, Brother said he was sorry."

"Mn."

"Stubborn, should I sent a courting letter to the Jiang Sect?" Lan Xichen asked and Lan Wangji set his cup down.

"No."

"No?" Lan Xichen was confused.

"I want to ask Wei Ying on my own will, and he will answer it himself, If the Jiangs know, they I use it as an alliance for their own will." Lan Xichen frowned at his brother's words.

"One must not make assumptions."

"Xiongzhang, I am not making assumptions, I heave heard it from the source itself." this made Lan Xichen widen his eyes.

"Is the Jiangs..."

'Here we go again...'

"There are things I can tell you brother, but others I can't, If you trust me....I will show you."

A servant came in to take the dishes away and closed the door.

Lan Xichen was confused, of course he would trust his baby brother more than anything in the world...what had made him doubt?

"Of course I trust you."

"Then I hope you won't ask anything until we're done?"

"We're?"

"Huaisang."

The green robed young master came in "You better hurry with this one, Wei-xiong will kill me when he finds I stole his bell." Lan Xichen was in shock the item the younger Nie was holding.

"Wangji what is this about?"

"Brother please trust me this once, I can't let either of the both of us make the same mistake again." Lan Wangji didn't plan to show him the future today but Nie Huaisang sure is Impatient and if not now then when?

'Brother you're not going to like it but you're going to deal with it.'

"I promise not to question until this is all over."

"Good." Lan Wangji placed silencing Talismans around the place and started the empathy.

—————————

"Jiang Cheng!"

He rushed towards the younger "What!?" He asked irritated. "Someone stole my bell!" he pointed to his side where the bell was intact which angered Jiang Wanyin.

"You idiot! How could you lose the bell!" He wanted to slap him to oblivion.

"I didn't lose it! I had it while talking with Nie-xiong, then as I was walking to find you both, it's gone!" He then paused "l know Huaisang is a prankster but why would he steal my clarity bell!"

He then rushed off to find Huaisang.

"Why should I care, you'd be better away from me." Jiang Wanyin tsked and left.

—————————

Half an hour had passed and Nie Huaisang rang the clarity bell to both their ears as he saw Lan Xichen's discomfort.

He rang the bell 3-5 times before the two finally got out of empathy.

Lan Xichen was horrified, from what he saw, the one his brother has a crush on was a demonic cultivator! But he protected the innocents! There was a child! while believed the man he called A-Yao instead of his own brother. He might already found his answer when his brother asked him to trust him because in that vision he never believed him, and his best friend had died had! He had many questions but like he promised, he never said a word.

Lan Wangji sighed "I am from the future."

'Okay well that explains most of it.' Lan Xichen thought.

"Ji-xiong had told me about it first and..." since Lan Wangji wasn't much of a talker..to anyone that isn't his Wei Ying...Nie Huaisang did most of the talking.

"...And that's what we know, any questions?"

Nie Huaisang asked the first Jade who nodded "You're saying that the cleansing I taught Jin Guangyao had not slowed down the process but sped it up?"

The two nodded "He was getting better when Jin Guangyao stopped playing but then he got into more stress and since Xiongzhang couldn't play he decided to just place his trust on Jin Guangyao. Which only killed him in a matter of months."

"But you think its intentional?"

"Yao-ge has good memory, you tell him something once, and he'll remember it forever, and he's really into getting his father to legitimize him, I have no doubt he'd do anything." Nie Huaisang clarified.

"We could try to change his mind." Lan Xichen said he doesn't want to believe them but his brother infront of him came from the future, he had no choice but to believe him.

After all, the future him failed, so he'll make sure the present him doesn't, if that's what will earn his brother's trust again.

"One more question." he said raising a finger "How did Wei-gongzi became a demonic cultivator?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Ji-xiong had a few guesses in why, it was either he was possessed or the burial mounds changed him, he never once had touched his sword after he returned." Nie Huaisang said and Lan Xichen nodded "Him being possessed sounds more like a possibility, Wei-gongzi doesn't seem like the type to touch resentful energy."

"Wait! I just remembered!" Nie Huaisang said.

"Didn't he fell in the waterborne abyss twice?" Nie Huaisang asked and Lan Wangji nodded.

"Where was he when he fell in? Which part?"

"Why are you asking this?" Lan Xichen asked.

"Well uhh I dont-"

"Nie Huaisang." Lan Wangji glared at him "Uhm, because he might have been exposed to resentful energy beforehand, as he showed us, it seemed like he tamed the resentful energy." he explained.

"I checked in the library Pavillion and saw that, Resentful energy cannot be tamed unless the victim has been exposed to the energy itself beforehand."

Lan Wangji gasped and sat up straighter than before, as if he wasn't sitting straight already.

"He fell into the heart of the abyss." As soon as Lan Wangji said that, they all rushed out of the Jinshi door without breaking the 'no running' rule.

'I hope it's not too late! Wei Ying never said anything if his body felt different, but then again, his pain tolerance is high, he must have not realized it.'

He looked around to find his crush 'Baobei where are you?????'

—————————

Wei Wuxian was mad but not mad, he was annoyed to say the least.

Since when did Nie Huaisang became a good hider!? And Cloud Recesses is big for a mountain! Not as big as Lotus Pier but STILL!

When then he hear Nie Huaisang's voice calling out to him "Nie Huaisang!" He called out to the teen.

Nie Huaisang leaned in to hug his Wei-xiong, and since he didn't want to die he sneakily tied the bell to the taller's belt and hid the bell inside it.

He could smell vinegar coming from Lan Wangji nearby so he removed himself before bichen might kill him.

He might as well give the other is super limited edition interesting cutsleeve book.

"Huaisang did you steal my bell?" He asked crossing his arms.

"I don't know! I didn't! I didn't! Did you check your belt or robes properly!?" Huaisang ran and hid behind Lan Xichen.

Wei Wuxian then sighed "I checked multiple times and-huh?"

Lan Wangji, 'WHY IS YOUR CONFUSED FACE SO CUUTEEE!?!?!?'

"Oh...I must have forgotten to check in this place." Wei Wuxian said before he noticed the two jades and greeted them before asking.

"May I help you?"

"Wei-gongzi, please forgive us, we had forgotten to bring you to the infirmary yesterday after we have sealed the abyss." Lan Xichen explained.

Wei Wuxian quickly waved them off "I feel fine don't worry-"

"Wei Ying please." Lan Wangji said gaining the other's attention because HE WANTS IT WHY SHOULD HE NEED A REASON!?

"You were dragged at the heart of the abyss, there might be some resentful energy in your dantian but faint enough that you might not feel it, If it isn't going to be removed, I fear something might happen to you." Lan Wangji said holding Wei Wuxian's hand.

Wei Wuxian had never had someone to worry for him like this aside from his Jiang Fen jie but the woman was his mother figure, he never had people around his age worry for him.

'Is this what's it like when people care for you?'

He then saw Lan Wangji's eyes which looked scared and IS IT GETTING TEARY!? OH NO NO NO.

LAN XICHEN WAS GOING TO KILL HIM IF ONE TEAR LEAVES HIS BROTHER'S EYES!

"Don't cry! I'Il get my dantian checked!" he quickly reassured the older male who then smirked.

'This! He-NIE HUAISANG WHAT DID YOU TEACH THIS MAN!? FAKE CRY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT!'

"Great!" He then kissed the other's hand and carried him.

"Let's goooooo!!"

"LAN ZHAN I CAN WALK MYSELF!"

Lan Xichen and Nie Huaisang looked at each other amused "Paint that scene and I'll pay you for it." the younger nie fanned himself and smiled.

The two then heard a choked cry from the side and saw Lan Qiren fainting after spitting blood. "I was sure there was a rule against being dramatic."