Chapter Text
Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren raised their son Wei Ying while living in a village until he was old enough to travel with them.
However, before they began their journey for Yiling, they received dreams.
Dreams of the future about A-Ying.
What happened after they never came back for him in Yiling.
What happened with his life in Lotus Pier. A precarious situation while raised to be a Shield while not belonging anywhere. Little Jiang Yanli tried her best anyway...and he grew up a genius who knows he cannot stand out and outshine Fengmian's son. But he still did by being the first to grow a Golden Core despite his large disadvantage as an orphan! But given Yu Ziyuan's attitude and Wei Ying learned how people roll through his life in the streets, ensured his grades were never higher than Jiang Cheng's. But in Night Hunts come getting his sword, he never failed a job. And he was popular in Yunmeng by simply being himself.
Well, he did feel at home more in the streets, than Lotus Pier...Jiang Yanli was the one he really was loyal to in the end, because she was the only one in that family to treat him well.
They understood that their son fell in love, but he never knew because his childhood didn't exactly teach that. But hey, their son is a single-target cutsleeve! Cangse felt she oughta teach Qiren a lesson...but still, his time in Cloud Recesses...influenced the future.
A future of War.
Their son's horrifying choice that led to a single-plank bridge, as he was raised to serve and give everything for Fengmian's son disregarding himself in the process!
That asshole Jin Guangshan!
And what a good Jianghu! Their son gave great contributions and what did they do afterward?!
Their son choosing the path of thorns to save innocents. Did not end well as he was set up and framed many times until Jin Zixuan's death.
That led to the Siege of Burial Mounds.
His chosen family giving themselves up for his sake that horrified him. All that was left, was a toddler their son loved like his son of his heart.
That was when they woke up, sweating heavily.
'A-A-Ze...' Cangse gasped out as when they woke up, their room was thick and rife with Resentful Energy!
'It's no dream...it's real.' Changze shook as the resentful energy was full of grief, sorrow and anger. Anger belonging to their 19 year old son who died young! 'This energy is still powering A-Ying's desperation. It's clinging to us.'
'War eleven years from now is it? I'm having nothing of that nonsense!' Cangse fumed. 'Come to think of it, we received a job in Qiling and we planned to pass by Yiling, right? And in A-Ying's memory, we never came back for him and the truth about how we died never known.' she said with a frown while looking thoughtful. 'I don't like this A-Ze.'
'We drop the job...and prevent that future entirely.' Changze said darkly and his wife agreed.
'I heard that Qing Continent is nicer, but a lot harder to live in.' Cangse mused. 'Our area is infested with evil spirits while there, your reputation is based on how strong you are in martial arts and in Alchemy. There are Three Great Sects and Nine Schools there and they have more prestige than a nation's Emperors. Their way of cultivation is also different. Battle-based, but doesn't pursue immortality like us.'
'Yes, well, we go up north then. We can live there for A-Ying's younger years.' Changze decided. 'By the way, what's cultivation there like...?'
Years later...
Qixing Mountains.
This Mountain Range separated Qing Country from Xian Country where they were from.
Way of life here is different. Everyone here are all cultivators, even if you're not rich or not from a sect.
Most commoners are into the so-called Constitutional Domain. Nine levels wherein it strengthens flesh, bone and organs respectively. Well, they are pretty advanced in cultivation as children in Xian can form Golden Cores, the next step after YIn and Yang Dan Realms, the first step for the path of Immortality before age 13. Their method here is quite, inefficient.
And the world beyond Qixing was unexplored that each country don't know about the other, and their lands much richer in qi which is why body-wise, they age slower than people of Qing. But Qing is superior in battle skill, capable of dealing with Yao with their fists and qi alone. And more adventures, resources and treasures than Xian Country.
Nobody dared to cross Qixing from Qing, because the yao are crazy strong. Its not like they own flying swords to escape the crazy and safely cross, can they?
They settled in Qiufeng Town, when their son is ten years old. He formed his Golden Core at eight years old. Just proving how much of a genius he was even disadvantaged and now, he has his parents who gives him all he needs, and a happier life.
They hid in an obscure region in Qiling for years, bordering Hebei, the territory of Qinghe Nie and its subordinate sects. Using the techniques of the Immortal Mountains, the Wei Parents increased their strength, exploiting Wen Ruohan's qi-rich domain for their benefit. They left Qiling for the north, when Wei Ying was ten, and settled onto the first town they saw. Which was Qiufeng.
They stood out immediately due to their good looks and jade skins, a sign 'They must have hit Houtian at a very young age! They must be a family of geniuses!'
They promptly enrolled their son at the local Martial Hall just so he'd make friends.
'Enrolling your son despite being way beyond in cultivation? He is stronger than even I now.' said the Ye Headmaster, Ye Gucheng. This family is more powerful than he, qi-wise to his gnawing envy.
'We spent years honing his body and qi. The price to pay for that was a life of loneliness.' said Cangse. 'We hope that despite everything, our son can live a normal life and have friends.'
'I suppose I can understand that.' Old Ye accepted as they finalized Wei Ying, now Wei Wuxian's papers and thus he is now a student at Ye Martial Hall.
Cangse and Changze settled for a job as a Hunter, earning money by the silvers, hunting for cultivational herbs and aids in the mountains, enabling them to buy a house and everything. Little steps at a time. They also experienced owning gold coins. Gold is not used in Xian much...
Here in Qing, it's 1000 copper = 1 silver, and 10 silver = 1 gold.
They sell low-level ingredients in Qiufeng, and 'decent quality' in Li City six hours away from Qiufeng Town. They owned a house fit enough for four people, because they hoped to give their son a sibling.
Their goal was to give their A-Ying a good happy life and defy his fate.
In Qiling, in a mountainous village a week away from Qishan where Nightless City is...
10 years old Wen Qing and 5 years old Wen Ning woke up, drenched with sweat, tormented from quite the nightmare!
A nightmare about their future, eleven years from now.
Their Uncle will kill their parents for trying to save Nie Zhongde from the Qi Deviation he caused through the man's saber, just for daring to have a sword better than his, according to rumors! That's two years from now!
This will lead to them being under his Guardianship frought with peril. Be good and useful or else. Until then, they were insignificant in his eyes. Wen Qing was forced to become useful, and became a renowned genius doctor and pharmacist, that her skills were deemed worthy enough by Wen Ruohan and she became the first famous female doctor in history.
Their uncle valued talent and merit after all.
Put to good use in war by the way. They were put in Yiling Supervisory Office when they started this shit and she led Yiling reluctantly, until Wen Ning rescued Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian from Lotus Pier as he still obeyed their branch tenets. They are to heal and return life, not take it.
Jiang Wanyin was without his core and Wei Wuxian found her...Core Transfer Theory...yikes. She should not invent such a thing. She did because of Wen-fucking-Zhuliu.
Because Wei Wuxian became a demonic cultivator, he may have become one of the greatest contributors in war...earning him resentment and jealousy of his great power, also earning him fear, contempt and in Jin Guangshan's case, lust for it. The Nies and Lans are typical black-and-white morality.
He suffered for it and more when he saved her family in Qiongqi Path. Two years later...they all died for his and A-Yuan's sake. But he went mad with grief and indignant anger, that he blew up the coveted Yin Hufu, using up all it had to also send his memories of their future to the past. To them both, and his parents.
"That's our future?! What a good Wen Family! What a good Jianghu?!?!" Wen Qing snarled in rage, her teeth gritted in fury while all alone in her room.
She will do all she can to defy that, starting with her parents' lives, and while reeking with resentful energy, barged into her parents' room who were horrified she was cloaked in it!
'A-Qing! What happened to you?!' her father, Wen Fei gasped in horror and shock. 'Who attacked you at night?!'
'Listen to what I have to say.' said Wen Qing sternly. 'This is a warning from the future...from a friend who suffered heinous injustice!'
She told them what she gained from the future. From start to finish.
Her parents' eyes widened in horror. All because of Wen Ruohan and Jin Guangshan, they will all die?!
'I haven't met Wei-gongzi but he went this far to warn me to save our family because we had been good to him after he saved us as he was ostracized by everyone, ingrate lot.' Wen Qing spat bitterly before looking aggrieved. 'He also warned his parents so I suppose the Wei Wuxian of this time is not an orphan and not a member of Yunmeng Jiang any more which is good...they don't deserve him anyway! A-die, a-niang, we have to prevent your deaths two years from now while still doing the right thing somehow. We only got Wen Ruohan's notice when you were caught helping Nie-zongzhu and got killed for it. Until then, we happily lived in obscurity.'
'A-niang and a-die will discuss our fates in the morning, A-Qing.' said her mother, Liu Shan kindly as the resentful energy around their daughter dispersed without their hand in it. 'We can think better then.'
'Yeah...we better get out of here while we're still anonymous.' said Wen Qing. 'Its our only ticket to life.' and she turned to leave her parents' room, but before she could, Wen Ning was there, just as cloaked.
Wen Fei and Liu Shen looked at their son who would soon become history's first sentient Fierce Corpse by Wei Wuxian for their daughter's sake.
'A-jie, a-die, a-niang...c-can I sleep here?' Wen Ning whimpered, terrified. 'I-I don't wanna be alone...'
'Alright son, come here.' Liu Shan cooed to her son who has his shroud of resentful energy around him. 'We will not die. We will definitely live, Wei Wuxian.' she promised, and as if hearing her words, the cloak vanished from their son. 'Husband...' she croaked to her pale-faced, grimacing husband who nodded.
'We have a lot to do.' he said. 'For that gongzi who saved what's left of our family for naught but he still tries...we must live.'
Thus upon making plans and talking to family adults regarding the childrens' visitation from the future, they were shocked. That their deaths are almost fifteen years away!
Their sole advantage was being forgotten.
Wen Fei and Liu Shen changed their names in order to be able to settle in a clinic in Qinghe City to gain a reputation to be able to be reputable enough to help Nie Zhongde in the predicted timeframe, before returning home succeeding in saving the man's life after three months of trial and error.
They then returned home, remaining in obscurity by not standing out, no matter what. They still studied and researched in secret, but never publicized any of their feats, content with 'front jobs' of farming and winemaking, though they did have their children form golden cores, no matter how late in life, defying petty laws imposed upon them for once.
But preparing to earn the money to get the heck out of their home in a decade, but a lot happened during that decade, including a special visit.
Then they vanished, and took on another name, heading south, using different family names...