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Chapter Text

It was red. Not the beautiful kind of roses and the setting sun. But ugly and grotesque, like the red fire of hell.

It was red.

Everywhere.

Covered in it.

It dripped from the ceiling. She didn’t know who’s it was. She flinched when a drop fell.

The liquid was too thick, it was red. It wasn’t always red.

It used to be blue.

Like the ocean, the sky.

Her siblings’ eyes.

Those were still blue.

They stared at her, lifeless.

Shaking she brought a hand to her own.

Those weren’t red.

They weren’t blue.

They weren’t anything now.

Just empty.

Chapter Text

The town of Moling was quiet.

The town of Moling was always quiet.

It used to be more colorful, Lan Wanji knew how vibrant the fabrics in the market were, the jade green of the trees, the smell of fresh watermelon.

That was all gone now.

He wished he could blame it on the malevolent ghost residing near the town, but Lan Wangji knew better. It wasn’t the town that had changed.

White robes shifted as he moved, carefully maintaining a bubble of space around everyone. The cultivator was there purely to be rid of the malevolent ghost; he did not need the townspeople interfering.

“Excuse me, Shushu?”

He hadn’t noticed the feather light grip on his outer robe. Golden eyes flashed down at the child, who he realized was holding the hand of an even smaller child.

Lan Wangji exhaled softly, releasing the unnecessary tension he’d built up. “Mn?” The girl holding his outer robe let go, a rather gentle smile on such a young face.

She took a few seconds to answer; he used the time to analyze the two. He’d originally assumed they were lost, but neither child seemed scared or near tears. And both of them had rather foreign features.

The older girl had bright red hair and the younger child in comparison felt a little tamer having brown hair with red streaks.

Still the coloring was quite odd, and Lan Wangji was positive that they must hail from a foreign land.

That wasn’t the question he had though. The question that’d been burning at him ever since laying eyes on the children was why in the world could he sense their qi?

It wasn’t odd for young cultivators even at their age to have more than the usual amount of qi, compared to civilians.

But these children had an amount on par with cultivators who had just started night hunting, alone.

“I just wanted to say sorry.”

Sorry?

It felt like the girl’s eyes could see right through him.

The dark lighting made it impossible for him to see what color they were, but he swore they glowed.

Subconsciously, his hand drifted to Bichen.

“Living without the one you love most must be hard.” His hand settled on the blade, tightening as the girl continued to speak.

Her eyes, filled with more than Wangji could understand, drifted to his pinky. And once more this girl stunned him, as she looked up at him and weeped.

“They’ll return one day, but not for a long, long time. You must live now until you can thrive.” Those eyes left him and it was only then that Wangji realized he hadn’t been breathing.

How in the world did she know about Wei Ying? He was about to ask, about to take the young girl by the shoulders and question everything when the younger child spoke.

“Jiejie, we need to go.” He reached out, purpose unsure but intent there.

He was too late.

A soft blue glow surrounded the children and before he could blink, they disappeared.

Once more, Lan Wangji was left alone.

Staring at his pinky finger and glowing eyes haunting his mind… the town of Moling really was quiet.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Lotus Pier was more active than usual, disciples and everyone else hurrying to get their home set up for the Discussion Conference they’re holding.

Jiang Cheng ironically was not in Lotus Pier. Instead, the man was out checking on the status of the town next to it and the one next to that and so on.

He only did so in person once every month or so, too busy with other duties to do what he sometimes wished.

Still, this was one of the few days where Jiang Cheng had no paperwork to do, and he always enjoyed seeing the people his sect worked so hard to protect.

“Thanks again, Sect Leader Jiang you’ve been such a great help.” Yung Bai, an old shopkeeper, bowed.

“Of course, it is my job. I’m glad that you and your wife are okay now.” Jiang Cheng bowed, leaving before Yung Bai could gift him anything.

“I’ll have something prepared for you next time you come!” Yung Bai hollered, hopefully he’d forget by next month.

Civilians like Yung Bai were far too kind. There was no need to award cultivators like him anything.

Jiang Cheng stuck to the side of buildings, attempting to avoid the notice of others. A light mist clung to the ground. Hugging the bottom of his robes and swishing with every step he took.

“Look, look, Gege! It’s so funny!” Black hair swayed as Jiang Cheng shifted.

A small girl, around seven, was playing with the mist. Her hair had streaks of stark red in it, a fitting color for such a bright personality.

“I see that Meimei, I think the mist likes you.” Her older brother was crouched down next to her.

Hair containing the same vivid red, his began at the roots and bleed into black.

Purple eyes watched the siblings, memories of a similar situation playing through his mind.

Wei Wuxian used to love playing with the mist. He would lie back and roll around in it. Then, of course, tackle Jiang Cheng.

They’d go to A-Jie covered in water and arguing and she’d giggle at them yet bring them into a hug warmer than the sun.

He blinked, the memory fading away to the siblings in front of him.

“I’m so sorry sir, I’m a little short.” This was a new voice as well, a young girl. Plum eyes flickered to the new sight.

They were several feet away, the girl and shop vender. “Ah, sorry little miss, you’ll only be able to have the one then.”

A frown tugged at the sect leader’s lips; the girl was around a-Ling’s age, likely younger around ten or so, and as thin as his finger.

Purple robes shifted as Jiang Cheng moved. “Here-“ a bag placed onto the counter, more than enough to sell the vendor out three times over

“-that should more than cover it. Be so kind as to make another three for her.” Eyes narrowed, he allowed Zidian to spark a few times.

“Ha, ha, of course, sir.” The man quickly went to work. Cheng shifted his eyes to the girl, and she too had strawberry hair.

Unlike the children behind them, her whole head was red.

Like a river of blood.

“Thank you so much, Shushu!” She fell into a bow, flaming red hair flowing down.

“Don’t thank me, I just had some extra money, that’s all.” He literally waved the gratitude away and watched as the girl finally picked her head back up.

Her face was angled towards him, yet her eyes were looking everywhere but him.

Or no… they were directly through him.

Even in the dim light of the day, Jiang Cheng struggled to make out the exact color of them.

They were light.

Far too bright for a normal person.

Zidian slid between his fingers, guard rising every second she stared.

“Jiejie! Look, the mist is so funny!” The young girl laughed, mist dancing between her fingers.

Her older sister blinked, Jiang Cheng breathed. Bright eyes a color he could finally see.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” she looked at him with something akin to pity. Flames licked at his gut, he ignored them.

“I, well, I’m sorry.” She took the bag of food, Zidian stilled. “And Shushu, I really do hope that your future is brighter than your past.”

A click of his tongue was the only reply he gave and sect leader Jiang watched as the three siblings lit up in a soft blue before disappearing.

It was incredibly unusual for him to have kept his temper for so long, but everything in him had hated the way she looked at him and had he not controlled himself, Jiang Cheng didn’t know what he would have done.

Still, they had been frail, far too skinny for a growing child. Zidian sparked, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.

There were other matters he must attend to.

The Discussion Conference still needed some work, and he needed to send a request to Jin Guangyao, Jin Ling hadn’t been to Lotus Pier for a long time, and it was important for the boy to see how Discussion Conferences worked.

He may miss seeing Jin Ling as well.

The boy was like the sun and he needed that… the girl had been far more like the moon.

Chapter Text

A soft breeze danced as it entered, long hair swaying. Freshly cooked food was gently placed upon his table, vegetables and meats beckoning him.

“Sect Leader Jiang and your other companion should arrive soon.” Golden eyes shone, a disguised excitement in them.

He hadn’t seen his Jiujiu in two months and Wei Wuxian in twice that time. Duties as the Sect leader and the added restoration of his clan’s name have been… difficult.

Fingers tapped against a table, food untouched and tea gradually cooling. The thin patience he had was wearing but it was his uncles.

He would wait.

The sounds of outside flooded into the restaurant, the hustle of people bargaining and clattering of their footsteps was oddly comforting.

“Aw, come on, do these really need to cost that much?”

“Mama, could we get some tangyuan?”

It really was enjoyable, listening to the towns people. It was a reminder of why he and the ones he loved did their jobs.

“Wow, these moon cakes are delicious!” Truly, a gre-

“You’re quite strong willed for a girl. Who said you could speak to me?”

Huh?

Tapping fingers came to a still as the words processed. Golden eyes searched. The voice was clearly male, likely around his Jiejie’s age and based on the sound it came from someone tall with a large build.

“Wow, people need permission to speak to you?” That must be the girl he was disrespecting. Jin Ling respected the raw sass.

“Talk about a lonely existence.” An alleyway, a tall obviously well-feed man and two other figures. Golden robes flexed as the sixteen year old moved.

“Speaking of permission, did you ask this child if she wanted to be assaulted or did you just do it?”

Jin Ling landed next to a robed figure, unnoticed. “I’m sure he didn’t. And I’m sure he wouldn’t like his daddy finding out.”

Of course it was this scum bag.

Three heads turned to stare at him and it seemed only two recognized who he was. A young girl, who the first girl must had been talking about. She stared at him, eyes wide and oddly filled with relief.

“Leader Jin! That man is yucky!” She ran over to him, small hands clinging to the bottoms of his robes.

Jin Ling could only stare at the act. He could count the number of times people ran to him for help.

On a single finger.

“He made this weird face, like this!” To his horror, the child squished her cheeks together imitating a kissing sound.

Flames licked at his feet quickly climbing. On instinct, he pulled the girl closer, further behind him.

Jin Ling knew the guy was a scum bag, he didn’t realize he was literally human garbage.

“No wonder you’re an only son, your parents took one look at you and realized that the gods couldn’t create a worse person.” Far worse words wished to seep out of his mouth, he refrained.

“I never touched her. Sect Leader Jin, don’t you understand that she’s just a child? Who would ever the believe the words of a mere child.” Rotten eyes gleamed, it wasn’t talking about the innocent child.

Jin Ling was used to people peering down on him. His young age had been used against him for as long as he could remember.

“Who would ever believe the words of a disgusting creep that assaults young girls because he’s too afraid of grown women?”

The girl beside him, the one who had originally stared with threatening curiosity was yet again focused on the thing in front of them.

“Oh, wait, no one!” Small hands curled tighter into Jin Ling’s robes, a small face hiding itself within the folds.

A soft whimpering sound, a few sniffles, the hooded girl turned at the sound. The speed of the action caused her hood to fall down revealing a very panicked face.

“Shit, sorry-” she kneeled down, body brushing against Jin Ling’s. “I didn’t mean to scare you, just that meanie over there.”

The younger girl picked her head up, he felt it more than saw it. Unconsciously, his hand ended up on her shoulder. A steady presence the child leaned against.

“He *sniff* is a big meanie!” The older girl, who Jin Ling had dubbed lilac (because of her light purple eyes), nodded, teeth set in a wide smile.

“Exactly! So I was just being mean to him, never you baobao (baby).” Amber eyes shifted from the, admittedly, adorable sight to the vile creature across them.

It had been ‘slowly’ retreating.

Unlucky for it, Jin Ling was a Sect Leader and far too experienced.

“I’ve already called for Jin disciples to come and arrest you. You can try to flee-”

“It wouldn’t work even if he tried.” Normally, he’d be upset someone interrupted him, but it’s happened to him so often lately Jin Ling could no longer care.

“I have him confined.” Lilac held a fist out, she yanked it to her chest and it followed. Jin Ling had been more shocked by the situation than he realized.

He had somehow, miraculously, not sensed the incredible amount of refined qi she had.

The cloak she was wearing completely covered her outer robes, but Jin Ling already knew she didn’t belong to a sect.

“Woah! How’d you do that dajie?” The hands that had been desperately clutching his robes just mere seconds ago quickly let go.

Yet, Jin Ling’s hand never left her shoulder, it prevented the child from running into Lilac’s arms.

“Well don’t tell anyone, but I’m magic!” She may have laughed at the child but her gaze was cutting. She knew who Jin Ling was and likely what his position meant, it was understandable that she was cautious.

“Wow! That’s so cool dajie!”

But he had questions… about everything.

The light purple coloring of her eyes, the way they faintly glowed. How she was holding it hostage without a talisman and if it had anything to do with that odd hand motion.

Gods, he didn’t even know her name!

“If you have everything dealt with here, then…” he did not wish to leave. Lilac pierced into him, deadly yet terrified.

“I will take my leave. Disciples from the Jin sect will arrive soon, please hand that piece of trash over when they do.” Brown hair swayed as she nodded.

There was a tentative hope in her eyes.

Jin ling supposed those questions would never be answered.

“As for you, if anything like this ever happens again, run straight to someone dressed like me. They will help you.” He wished to do more, but bringing in a random child would be heavily frowned upon.

The sect and his reputation was too ruined for him to truly help.

Not in the way he wished.

“Sect Leader Jin,” he faced the older girl, curiosity hidden in golden eyes

“I, Jimo Juhua thank you for your help today.” A smile tugged at Jin Ling’s lips. One question out of far too many answered. Perhaps the only one.

“Of course, Jimo Juhua.” What a sad surname, yet it fit. It fit the eye bags and exhausted smile, the air of someone surviving not living.

“Until we meet again.” He received a nod and searching gaze, for what, he did not know.

The boy gave one last squeeze to the child’s shoulder, one last glance into glowing lilac eyes.

Swiftly he left.

Unlike the way he came, Jin Ling walked.

With his feet guiding him and head far back in the alley, it took a little while for the boy to remember he had been waiting on his uncles… fuck.