Wei Wuxian walked alongside Jiang Cheng, back to his old room, pondering how this was going to work out. 

Anxiety twisted inside him. Wei Wuxian pushed it aside. 

It was surreal to see his body lying so still on his old bed, pale as death. He'd seen it once, yes, but to see it again, and really take it in, and there was no hint of decay from what he could see. 

Wei Wuxian hesitated for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this. He shook his head. 

Jiang Cheng pulled out a delicate box hidden beside the bed and opened it. There were all kinds of research and notes and an interesting talisman Wei Wuxian had never seen before and wondered how his brother had gotten ahold of such a thing. 

"I did a lot of research looking for a way to bring him back. And I found this, happened upon it really. It fell from the sky, right in front of me."

Yanling Daoren had frozen, eyes locked on the delicate talisman. "Impossible."

All eyes present turned to him, and he grimaced. 

"I had long forgotten such a thing existed, but long ago, my teacher spoke of such a talisman, such a technique, and forbade the use of it, because if people learned of the power, the capabilities, their greed would know no bounds. It's a very old, sacred knowledge only she knew."

Wei Wuxian gasped. "Baoshan Sanren."

Yanling Daoren's eyes flicked to him very briefly, with a barely imperceptible nod. 

"It seems that my teacher couldn't resist reaching out this one last time, for the sake of Cangse Sanren's son. Her first and last gift to Wei Wuxian, to help give him a second chance."

"There was a note with it too, but I was unable to read it...except for the name the letter is addressed to. My brother, Wei Wuxian." Jiang Cheng handed the note to Yanling Daoren, whose eyes widened when he read it and gave a laugh.

Wei Wuxian's curiosity rose up and he moved to see if he could read over the others shoulder.

     To My Dearest Pupil's Child

First, I am deeply outraged on your behalf. For what you had to endure and suffer, sweet child. For that, I am sorry. As an Immortal, many people have the notion of immortals being flawless and perfect, that we are without fault and incapable of mistakes. That is a lie. 

I feel somewhat at fault, for all my students' pain and suffering. I warned them about the world, and they had known from the start, but after I taught them all they needed to know, one by one...soon they had all gone, out of my reach, and out of my protection. I am not without eyes, not without ears and though I don't leave my mountain, I have ways of knowing, hearing things. I see and hear many, many things, and I am always left with disappointment for how some of the generations of cultivators turn out over time and the legacies passed down, slowly becoming a disgrace. 

There are those that say and fool heartedly believe that immortals make no mistakes and they are perfect. However, we both know that isn't true. We still carry flaws the same as any other person, as a regular mortal or cultivator. I have had quite a few requests in my lifetime so far. Sadly, it is too late for me to do anything about those. But no longer can I just not get involved to help in some small way that I can. I knew that I always want to become a great cultivator and immortal to be able to teach the students that need a different training from the rest. With that I knew I would never get married or have a family of my own. However, your mother became the closest I ever had to a daughter. You became the closest to a grandson for me. I am so proud of you, my troublesome sunzi (grandson). 

Be safe. 

   —Baoshan Sanren. 

Wei Wuxian blinked. He wasn't quite sure how he felt. He couldn't find the words to express all the emotions he felt when he read the letter. His mother's teacher reached out to him and granted him the possibility of a second chance like this. Part of Wei Wuxian wanted to laugh, another wanted to cry, and the rest was just lost.

This letter meant she knew everything that had transpired in his life up to this moment and she chose to intervene and help in the only way she could. 

Wei Wuxian really didn't know what to feel, because if he felt anything right now-he was overwhelmed and all his other emotions were all tangled up in knots and confused. 

Chenqing sighed, "my former teacher is something else." Chenqing handed the letter back.

"If we are going to do this, now might as well be the best time since the rest of us are still here and anyone can lend a hand if needed, though I believe myself and Suibian, as well as Lan Xuan have it covered." Chenqing looked everyone in the eye.

"I will help as well." Lan Wangji offered and Lan Xichen nodded from beside him. Lan Qiren stood behind them, saying nothing.

"Of course I'm going to help, it was my idea." Jiang Wanyin mumbled.

Nie Huaisang came forward from behind his brother. "I can try as well." And then elbowed his brother in the ribs, causing Nie Mingjue to glare at his brother's cheeky grin, and grumbled under his breath but nodded in turn. 

Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan offered their help as well. 

Chenqing's eyes circled back to Lan Qiren, the stubborn mule of a man. He kept his face stern and didn't look his nephews in the eyes when he finally said yes, that he would help, with a barely perceptible softening light in his eyes. 

Chenqing ordered everyone to back up and make a wide circle around Wei Wuxian's bed, taking a breath and activating the talisman. Everyone used their spiritual energy alongside him, powering up the talisman. It glowed blue and gold.

Wei Wuxian watched in the background in disbelief. His body still lay unmoving as he watched for a moment that seemed to drag on and Wei Wuxian started to wonder if it was too good to be true. Or maybe it was him that was the problem, and not the talisman. 

However, the array became brighter, the gold and blue burning bolder and the light became glaringly bright to the point everyone had to look away. 

Wei Wuxian noticed that his ghostly body was starting to dim and become transparent, fading quickly until he seemed to disappear altogether and everything went dark once more.

....

The glaring bright light lingered for many moments before it began to gradually fade into nothing. 

Everyone in the room stared at the body on the bed but there was still no signs of life from Wei Wuxians body.

Chenqing frowned. 'Impossible, I have never seen it done once in my life but my former master would not lie about this. She wouldn't. So why didn't it work?'

Chenqing also took notice that Wei Wuxian, who had been behind him was gone. It sent a spike of fear through him. Did I really make a mistake somehow? Was it my fault? What if I erased A-Ying's existence for good by accident? What have I done? It should have worked. 

Chenqing staggered away, clutching handfuls of his hair in an unexpected fit of what seemed like distraught madness. He promised. How could he fail?

Suibian tried to comfort him as best as he could even though he too felt lost, the turmoil twisting violently in his chest and he suddenly wanted to rage at those who he believed were at fault who caused everything from the beginning. It wasn't fair at all.

Lan Wangji and Jiang Wanyin both stared brokenly at the corpse of Wei Wuxian, still cold and no flicker of life, filled with wretched disbelief. 

Everyone else had their head bowed silently at the heavy weight of the moment sinking onto their shoulders, feeling that they had failed. 

It didn't work. 

Lan Xuan looked around worriedly at all the grim faces and the complete lost and devastated looks on both Lan Wangj's and Jiang Wanyin's faces. 

Lan Xuan's brother's heart had shattered all over again and he wasn't sure if it could be healed at all now. 

Lan Xuan closed his eyes, a single tear slipping down. 

"I'm sorry, Wei Wuxian, we still failed you again in the end."

No one replied back.

.........

Wei Wuxian slowly felt his awareness coming back to him. His eyes snapped open as all his memories came back to him. He tried to breathe but he was choking on air. He was having a panic attack. 

He was back in his body, which felt a little foreign to him, as he was dead for so long and his body still felt somewhat stiff, but that was slowly going away too. 

He sat up gingerly, adjusting to his body. 

There was a quiet gasp and Wei Wuxian's eyes snapped up at the sound. 

Lan Xuan was in the room with him. 

The others' eyes filled up with tears and Lan Xuan just beamed at him with the brightest, happiest smile anyone has ever given him in his life. A first. 

Wei Wuxian was normally the one with happy smiles, trying to always be happy, enjoying life in the moment, always playing around and trying to make others he cares about happy. But that hasn't been him for a long time...

"It worked. It really worked, though far later than we had expected it to. I..may I hug you?" Lan Xuan shuffled close and asked quietly with a soft gaze. 

"I apologize that may seem like a strange question when you don't really know me and we're not close in that way. I'd like us to be, one day, as friends and family. I am  asking though, because I feel like we both need it. I know my family has never been particularly close that way, but I feel sometimes it's a necessity. I might win Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji over that way, slowly," Lan Xuan winked.

Wei Wuxian snorted a laugh and fell silent. The air between them got a little quiet and awkward for a moment before Wei Wuxian gave a light laugh again and a small but genuine smile. "Sure."

Lan Xuan was quick and immediately crushed Wei Wuxian in his embrace. As Lan Xuan embraced him, Wei Wuxian felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, since his shijie.... 

He felt warmth, safety, and genuine love emanating from Lan Xuan like a soft comforting presence wrapping around him. Wei Wuxian inhaled and slowly exhaled, relaxing, and hugging Lan Xuan back tightly. He had needed this for a very long time. 

Lan Xuan stayed where he was as Wei Wuxian, (his soon to be brother in law) tightened his hold, returning his hug, shaking slightly and Lan Xuan felt water droplets fall onto his neck where Wei Wuxian had buried his face in, trembling like small child, and crying quietly, masking his pain that had been held back too long and was finally surfacing. Lan Xuan didn't let go but held onto Wei Wuxian for dear life, letting him take comfort from him, to help ease some of his burden, to fall apart and cry and slowly heal from the wounds long festering inside him. But they have all the time in the world for that. So he just let Wei Wuxian be. 

Lan Wangji will no doubt be hugging him plenty into the nearest future once they are together.

Lan Xuan and Lan Wangji, and everyone else who cares for Wei Wuxian will be there for him to pick up the pieces this time around. He would never be alone again.