Cleansing The Darkness

Lan Wangji

What happen next happen so fast that Lan Wangji didn't have the time to process it all before he found himself, along with Wei Ying and his sword spirit, Suibian rolling down a hole and into another pool. They had been pulled inside the freezing water by the ribbons of dark energy and he had been forced to let go of his hold on Wuxian, but just a few seconds later, they seem to have been teleported into a freezing cave bellow the lake.

Both of them rolled down an angled hole that looked like an entrance and inside a more shallow pool of water cover by a white mist. Wuxian begin coughing the water he sallow and Wangji hurried himself to help him stand. As he help him, he notice Wei Ying was trembling violently with cold and Lan Zhan opted for hug him while rubbing his wet back in hope to at least warm him up, even if it was just a little.

"Are you okay?" Wangji asked a bit worry, because Wuxian was actually paler than he should and was holding him back like his life depend on it.

"He is not. This place is unbalancing his inner energy." Suibian said coming closer. He bowed to Lan Wangji and smiled when Bichen took her human form.

"What do you mean?" Wangji asked, as he kept Wuxian securely on his strong arms.

"He means me." The voice came from the man in his arms, but it sounded a bit different, so he let go of Wuxian to see what he meant, taken aback as he stared at red eyes, instead of Wei Ying's usual dark brown ones. Bichen slightly pushed her Master back and stood in front of him protectively.

"You..." Wangji said, putting his hand over Bichen shoulder, to make her move. He knew those red eyes and he knew they didn't mean any harm, for now.

"Ah, yes, I am Xuanyu. Don't worry, Wei Ying will be back soon, he just a bit overwhelmed with the strong energy in here. You can feel it too, right?" Xuanyu asked him and true enough, he could feel the mix between dark and white energy just by breathing the air inside the huge cave.

"Xuanyu, what is this place?" Suibian asked.

"Oh, Suibian, you look so good while wet..." Xuanyu joked, making Suibian mad.

"Shut up, you pervert." And Wangji make a sound with his trout.

"Don't worry Lan Zhan, you are breathtaking too." Xuanyu said turning to look at him go red in the ears, which make him laugh.

"You, wicked thing don't be disrespectful of my Master." Bichen said, visible furious.

"Ah, Bichen... don't mind him..." She coldly looked at Suibian who shut up instantly under her hard gaze.

"This cave is ancient, there is history frozen within its walls, both good and bad." Xuanyu said next, becoming more serious.

"I was born from dark energy, but feed on white one inside of Ying, as he cultivate his golden core, creating my own. Because of that, he is more sensitive to energy, at times experiencing empathy by a simple touch or a strong concentration of resentful energy. This is not a good place for Wei Ying and there is something insanely strong sealed inside this frozen cave. You better find the way out soon or Wei may drain himself again, just by entering in empathy with the feelings left behind in this ancient place. Hurry out." Xuanyu said and a second later, he was about to fall forward again, if Wangji had not move to catch him halfway.

"Wei Ying..." This time, Wuxian was back to trembling and his eyes returned to dark brown.

"Something big happen here too long ago..." Wei whisper, passing his arm around Lan Zhan's shoulder, to keep himself from falling over the cold shallow water.

"Let's find the way out." Wangji said, taking most of Wei's weight as they slowly walked inside the freezing water. Suibian summon a flame over his open palm to illuminate the cave covered with ice and they walked forward to a part of the cave that was completely dry.

There were several tunnels and turns, but Wei pointed at the ones in which he felt less dizzy around, meaning it had less dark energy on them, but at some point, he begin to breathe heavily and Wangji decided to let him rest, helping him to sit in a corner, while resting his back in a cold wall.

"A war... a war destroyed this place... and give form to the floating islands... the magic released makes them float above the now Gusu lands." Wei Ying whisper as he closed his eyes. Some images were flowing inside his mind, giving him a huge headache. He touched his forehead, trying to make the images stop, as his head was throbbing with pain, but it didn't help one bit.

"I see." Wangji whisper, removing Wuxian's hand, to give him a bit of his energy and calm his pain.

"Hey... this can't be the place where it said the balance of the Yin and Yang was lost. The place in where the magic war was fought." Suibian said looking around. He threw the fire up and it exploded in several ones, deeper illuminating the white place.

"It seems so." Lan Zhan said with his eyes close in concentration.

"Then we really shouldn't be here." Suibian said, glancing at his Master, who looked sick and right then, there was the sound of a beast that echoes inside the labyrinth of caves.

"Oh hell... that sounds really bad." Suibian whisper, making Bichen look at him in disbelief.

"Are you afraid of a beast?" She asked him.

"Not really, but Wei Ying is not well enough for a big fight because this place is like poison for him, he can barely stand and my time out is limited. What about yours?" He asked, which make her blush in a bit of embarrassment, because she had just recently be able to go out and she had no idea for how long she could stay in her human form.

"Then let's move." Lan Zhan said, helping Wei Ying to stand, then took him to carry him on his back.

"Wow, Lan Zhan... I can still walk..." Wei whisper, holding him tighter. It was so cold down there that Lan Zhan's body heat was a welcoming blessing.

"No you can't. Just point the way." Wangji said, as he begin walking. Then the sound of the beast was heard once again.

"Follow the white mist." Wei said, closing his eyes. His head was still been bombarded with images of the past that he knew were important to their present, but he could not give them his full attention, as the beast sounded close. Wangji assented in understanding, now realizing that they had been following the mist that covered part of the ground since the beginning. They walked for a few more minutes and Wei Ying was beginning to feel better, but then...

"Wen Ning!" Wuxian yelled, opening his eyes and struggling to get out of Lan Zhan's arms. He had sense Wen Ning presence inside the cave and the beast was heading his way.

"Wei Ying... what...." Lan Zhan protested, letting go of him.

"The others are here too and they are in danger!" Wuxian said just before he started to run back to where they had come from.

"Wei Ying!" Wangji yelled, running after the reckless youth, that stubble as he ran, still affected by energy of the place, but keep up running, fearing a tragedy.

Luckily for Wangji, Wei Ying was wearing the white uniform that was easier to track in the semi-darkness of the cave than his Clan black clothes. Bichen had gone back to the blade, but Suibian was running after them, just in case something else could come from behind and after many turns in the cave tunnels, they could hear the yells of a battle in progress.

Wei Ning, Wen Qing, Jiang Cheng, Xiao Xingchen, Song Lan, Nie Huaisang, Jiang Yanli and Mianmian, were engaged in a deadly fight with a huge serpentine dragon with white and black scales. Dark energy was oozing out of it and as the dragon spit fire, their swords spirits joined to create a perfect shield that repelled the flames.

Once the fire was gone, Wen Ning go out and stroke the dragon with his fist causing it to stagger. That was the way he usually fight corpses, as he was inhumanly strong, but fighting a tainted sacred beast was something else entirely.

"Idiot, go back to the shield!" Wei yelled as he join them and seen him there, Wen Ning did as he was told, just before more flames came his way. Suibian and Bichen shielded their Masters from the remnants of the flames and once gone, they went inside the bigger shield.

"Wuxian! It was about time! Where were you?" Jiang Cheng asked, but Ying ignored him.

"We can't harm that dragon. It's a sacred beast, Yang's guardian." Wei said, putting together some pieces of the puzzle that had filled his mind with old history.

"Yang? What Yang?" Nie asked.

"I told you we shouldn't fight it." Song said.

"He was after Wen Ning, we could not let it kill him, right?" Jiang defended himself and Qing smiled kindly at him, making him slightly blush.

"Forget about it now. Just keep it distract it. That dragon had been tainted by Yin's dark energy and needs to be cleanse. After that, he will go back to sleep and the case will be solved." Wuxian said, making the rest of the group even more confused.

"What do you mean Wuxian?" Wen Qing asked.

"Never mind that, I will explain later. We need to calm down the dragon." After hearing that, Wangji summon his zither out of thin air and sat in the cold floor.

"I will calm it down." Wangji said, beginning to play one of his Clan famous tune with mastery.

"Alright. Huanying (Wen Ning spirit) and Senlin (Wen Qing spirit), come out with me. I need you to distract him when necessary. Lady Bichen, you can take a place in the shiled." The three sword spirits assented and two of them already knowing what the young Wei Master was going to do.

"Wait! Take me with you, I can also help." Sandu, Jiang spirit offered.

"I need you to keep the shield strong, all of you actually. Just protect your Masters and see how we do things in the east." Wei smiled, going out of the shield with a set of yellow talismans in his hand.

Wangji watched, as he played the calming tune, as Wei Ying infused the talismans with his energy like he did before with the human shaped one and spiral up in the air, throwing them over the tainted dragon. The talismans pasted over the black scales, making it madder throwing more fire, but his magical tune and Senlin's pressure point touch, was preventing him from moving.

Then Wei came down and ran toward the dragon, sending a wave of spiritual energy along with Suibian that expelled some of the dark energy from the dragon, cleansing a few black scales to white. Wei took out more talismans and pasted them, then move his hand to add another golden one wrote in the air and send it forward.

The dragon growled, but more dark energy leaved his long body, clearing the tainted scales. Then, all four of them stood back with back, making a formation covering all four corners with red talismans on their hands, sending a final spiritual combined wave that expelled for completely the remaining dark energy in a strong wave that recovered the four points of the cave, cleansing the whole place for good.

Without the tainted energy, the dragon became pure white and after looking up, sensing the energy of its Master far above, the dragon closed his eyes and coiling its long body, it fell asleep once again. The others looked with awe at the tie for the number one place, now knowing why he was there along with Lan Wangji. The guy was indeed quite strong on his own, worthy of a level nine.

"Oh, my..." Mianmian murmur.

"All be damn..." Jiang Cheng whisper.

"He is so strong." Nie also said.

"He is just a show off. See what happen when he gives the first step." Qing said, amused for what she knew was going to happen next.

"What do you mean?" Song Lan asked and Wangji sent back his zither to meet with Ying.

"The young Master will fain..." Wen Ning begin saying, but at that moment, Wei turned smiling at them and moved his feet forward and right after, he was on his way down to meet with the floor. Suibian got a hold on his Master before he could fully fall, but soon Wangji was there to take him on his arms, this time bridal style.

The others laughed with good humor. Soon after, while they walked following the white mist, another strange thing happen and they found themselves teleported back to the lake shore, outside the cave. Night had already fall by then, taking them by surprise because when they were pulled in, it was still early in the morning and now it was late in the night.

Still, the whole experience of meeting with a mystical creature in what they learn had been a mythical place, was like wondering around in another realm. Exhausted by the long fight for most of the group and with Wei unconscious for overusing his energy, they decided to camp in the wilderness. The beast was cleansed and back to dormant and if any wild dog showed off, their swords could take care of them.

So, they make a campfire and talked a bit more around it, doing as Lord Zheng had wanted, knowing each other better. Wangji had opted for lie down under a tree a very short distance from the camp, placing his back over the tree trunk, with Ying resting on his lap, as he transfer him some of his energy. Hearing the many tales of the others, he soon found himself fast asleep with Wei Wuxian, resting peacefully over his lap.

Wen Qing smiled at the sight, then looked at the young man from the Jiang Clan and wonder if they had been cough up in a spell that will change their lives right from the very start. She may not be 'drolling' over the beautiful men of the north, but she had to admit that she had come to fancy one from the Lotus Pier, a place of great beauty she wished to see in a near future, or so she hoped.

AN: Thanks for reading. Next will come the story of Yin (Black Energy) and Yang (White Energy) and how the balance of the energies was lost in the war that leaved their world in darkness. Hope you like this one, more adventures to come. Until next time, please take care.