Chapter Text
“I want to be a cultivator.”
Uncle Jiāng closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His brows were furrowed together as they did sometimes when he had one of his headaches. Wèi Wúxiàn had a feeling he was forming one now as the seconds ticked by. He felt a twinge of guilt for stressing out his uncle, but the burning impatience largely outweighed it inside of him.
“A–Xiàn… Do you know what you are asking for?” Jiāng Fēngmián asked, opening his eyes and lacing his fingers together on his desk.
Wèi Wúxiàn nodded as firmly as possible. Though he had only been at Lotus Pier for a little more than a year, he had come to understand that Jiāng Fēngmián would never hurt him for speaking his mind. It was a… change from the life he led before, but it wasn’t a bad one. Uncle Jiāng was very kind and soft on Wèi Wúxiàn, and while he, too, felt a great deal of affection for his savior, he also recognized a sucker when he saw one.
Wèi Wúxiàn did not survive on the streets for so long by being stupid, thanks.
“Yes. I’ve thought it over and over, and I decided that I want to officially become a disciple of Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect,” he stated as clearly as possible. Shijie and A–Chéng had helped him practice what he would have to say to convince their father, but he knew it would take more than words to sway Jiāng Fēngmián. The alpha would only agree if he could see that it was what Wèi Wúxiàn really, really wanted.
Luckily, Wèi Wúxiàn could claim that he had never wanted anything more in his life than this.
“And do you know what requirements you will have to meet to do that?” Uncle Jiāng asked, leaning forward slightly in his seat as he peered over his folded hands at the boy.
Wèi Wúxiàn lowered his gaze down to the gleaming pale floor. “Yes. I will need an alpha partner to help balance my energies. Even when I grow up, I will need to find a cultivator partner to help me maintain the balance,” he said, trying not to fidget under the intense pressure of the alpha’s stare.
“Yes. A partner that must have energy that is compatible with your own,” Jiāng Fēngmián lectured as if they were in one of their usual lessons. “Do you know how rare that is to find for an omega?”
Wèi Wúxiàn licked his lips and kept staring at the floor. “Yeesss, but… my mother did it. She found my father.”
Uncle Jiāng froze for a few seconds before clearing his throat. “Yes, she… she did. But your mother was… a special case,” he said slowly, voice softening a fraction.
Wèi Wúxiàn didn’t look up from the floor. He already knew what the alpha would look like after speaking of his mother. He couldn’t place the emotions on his uncle’s face, but he knew enough to feel awkward whenever he saw it. Part of him even felt guilty for bringing up his dead parents in front of Uncle Jiāng. Everyone in Lotus Pier knew better than to mention them because they were his weak spot.
But in this type of situation, where he had very little to work with, Wèi Wúxiàn knew he had to play on any weakness he could, so… apologies, Uncle?
There was a long, long moment of silence that he tried to wait out patiently. It was hard though, because Wèi Wúxiàn didn’t have any patience to spend. As the silence dragged on, he found himself twitching his fingers under his too-long sleeves (he would have to ask Shijie to hem them again) and biting his lower lip to keep quiet.
“A–Xiàn… Why do you want to be a cultivator?” Uncle Jiāng finally asked, and Wèi Wúxiàn quickly perked up to see him. The alpha stared him down with the same eyes his daughter possessed only with an intensity that Shijie did not have. “If you can give me a good enough reason, then I will allow it.”
Wèi Wúxiàn took in a deep breath as he tried to find the right words to voice. He wanted Uncle Jiāng to understand that being a cultivator was what he was born to do. He could feel it, down to his blood and bones, that this was what he was meant for. Nothing else in life had ever felt as complete as it did when Jiāng Fēngmián taught him the basics of cultivation to help him control his energy. Most omegas never learned anything more than that, but Wèi Wúxiàn had no interest in being like other omegas.
“I… I cannot explain why. I can only say that… this is what I am meant to do,” he said slowly, holding his uncle’s gaze to show how sincere he was. “I am meant to be a cultivator… just like my parents.”
Uncle Jiāng’s face softened, and the tense line of his shoulders relaxed slightly. “I see,” he murmured, raising a hand to rub at his jaw. He peered at Wèi Wúxiàn with a look that he had come to recognize as defeat, and Wèi Wúxiàn felt his heart leap in joy.
“The world is not very kind to omega cultivators,” his uncle pointed out, heaving out a sigh of defeat when he spotted the growing smile on Wèi Wúxiàn’s face.
Wèi Wúxiàn couldn’t help but laugh. “Since when has the world ever been kind to me?” he teased before giving a deep and proper bow to the alpha. “Don’t worry, Uncle. If you take me on as a disciple, I vow not to disappoint you!”
Jiāng Fēngmián only smiled the same quiet smile he only ever seemed to share with his children. “You never could.”