Night time, at the Lotus Lake

"So we're back at Lotus Pier?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Maybe. Lets just watch further." said Sizhui.

Wei Wuxian was sitting at the edge of the lake while looking at the at the sky.

"You're okay now?" asked Jiang Cheng.

"Maybe." said Wei Wuxian.

"But, it seems something was off." said Jiang Yanli.

"I don't have a good feeling about this." said Sizhui as he looked intently at the screen.

"A-niang seemed sad." he added.

Suddenly, he stood up as he slowly take of his robes, layer by layer. After he took off all of it leaving him only in his trousers, a dozen intersecting wound from whip lashes can be seen. By the look of it, these wounds are new because it was still open and bleeding.

"What the f*ck?!" cursed Jiang Cheng.

"How did you get those?" he asked with anger in his eyes.

"A-xian, tell us." said Jiang Yanli seeing how Wei Wuxian avoid their eyes.

"If he won't, I'm sure the screen will show it." said Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian slowly submerged himself to the lake, hissing when a cold water come in contact with his open wounds.

"Wei Ying." called Lan Wangji.

Sizhui was holding tightly on his robes with his eyes so cold.

He stayed still for a while, closing his eyes as a memory flashed across his eyes.

It a week after Jiang Fengmian brought him to Lotus Pier.

"Why is it showing this?" Wei Wuxian murmured.

"Is there something we should know?" asked Jiang Yanli.

Wei Wuxian was panicking now.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from my children?" Madam Yu asked as she grabbed little Wei Wuxian in the arm.

"A-niang." said Jiang Yanli.

"A-xian is our brother." she added.

"If I found out you did something to my second son-in-law, I won't let you go." said Qingheng-jun.

"Madam Yu, it was Jiang shushu who told me to play with them." said little Wei Wuxian.

"You dare answer back at me! Your Jiang shushu is really something huh. He let a son of a servant near my son." Madam Yu said with a scoff.

"If you I saw you near him again, I will punish you." she added as she shoved Wei Wuxian who fall to the ground and leave.

"Yu Ziyuan." said Qingheng-jun.

"What? Am i not allowed to do that?" she asked.

"If you don't want him, then you should hsve talked about it with your husband. You're hurting an innocent child." said Qingheng-jun.

"You should have tell us, a-xian." said Jiang Yanli.

"As if you can do anything about it." Sizhui said with a scoff.

"What do you mean?" asked Jiang Yanli.

"I mean, you can do nothing." said Sizhui.

"A-yuan, I won't accept that attitude of yours towards shijie." siad Wei Wuxian.

"But, it's true. She can never defend you." said Sizhui.

"Just like his brother." he added.

At first, it was only reprimanding and scolding, but as time passes by, Madam Yu became more strict to him.

It was when he develop his golden core before Jiang Cheng.

Madam Yu scoffed.

The Lans were already glaring at her.

"This, please stop this." said Wei Wuxian.

"Don't. Let them show it, a-niang. Show how toxic those people you called family." said Sizhui.

"Don't include my siblings, they're my only family." said Wei Wuxian.

"Who's ready to abandon you." said Sizhui.

"What? You already formed your golden core?" Jiang Cheng asked with enthusiasm.

"Yes, I just find out this morning." answered Wei Wuxian.

"That's great, next time I will also develop mine. And we will cultivate and night hunt together." said Jiang Cheng.

"You're not mad at him?" Nie Huaisang asked.

"Why would I? A little bit of jealous but Wei Wuxian is older than me. Besides, I can form my golden core too." said Jiang Cheng.

"So you admitted that you're jealous. No wonder, you always wanted to be more better than him." said Sizhui.

Jiang Cheng looked down.

"Before thinking of things like that, why don't you develop your core? How old are you, already? You're eight yet you can't even develop your own core." Madam Yu scoffed as she walked towards them.

"That was normal." said Wen Rouhan.

"He's still a kid, you're pressuring him." he added.

"More like giving her son an insecurities." said Lan Qiren.

"You shouldn't down your own son. Comparison is always the reason why they feel insecure. It will do him no good." said Madam Jin.

"A-niang, I was trying." said Jiang Cheng.

"Trying? Do it." said Madam Yu as she glared at Wei Wuxian.

"A-niang didn't do anything. Why are you glaring at him?" Sizhui as angrily.

"How dare you raised your voice at me?" asked Madam Yu.

"I dare because I can." said Sizhui.

"A-yuan." said Wei Wuxian stopping him fro speaking further.

"No, a-niang I won't let this pass. I have a feeling that she will do something to you. If he wants his son to be better then why not train him. No wonder, they are really alike." said Sizhui.

"What did my a-niang do to you?" asked Jingyi.

"I will let you talk bad about my grandmother but don't involve my mother." he added.

"What's the matter here?" Jiang Fengmian asked as he walked towards them with Jiang Yanli in tow.

"Don't you know how to handle the situation?" asked Wen Rouhan.

"Jiang Fengmian, you're the cause of all of this. Yu Ziyuan won't be like that if you're not a coward." he added.

"Xian-gege formed his golden core." Jiang Cheng said happily.

Madam Yu scoffed.

"Still calling him gege? This person will soon take your place since he is more better than you. Just when will you become more better? You can't even surpass him. Go and train yourself." she said as she pushed Jiang Cheng to the training grounds for her to train.

"Ziyuan. Don't be like that to your own son." said Qingheng-jun.

"Says the one who never ever been with his sons." said Madam Yu.

"At least they grew up greatly." said Qingheng-jun.

"Will Jiang Fengmian just let it?" asked Madam Jin.

"What do you expect?" asked Madam.

"A man who will never act like a father to his own son. I don't think if he even acknowledge him." she added.

"My Lady." said Jiang Fengmian.

"What? I'm telling the truth though. When did you show affection to him?" she asked.

"You never did." she added.

"You've done so great, a-xian." said Jiang Fengmian as he patted Wei Wuxian's head.

"Come, I'll train you with our sword technique." he added.

"You're treating someone else's son with care and affection, but ignore your own flesh and bone." said Madam Yu.

Jiang Cheng refused to look at the screen. Wei Wuxian could only look at him.

"A-cheng grew up but never did once you trained him." she added.

"Look at how great of a father you are, Sect Leader Jiang." she said with full mockery.

"My Lady, please." said Jiang Fengmian.

That night, Madam Yu have summoned him to the ancestral hall.

"Madam Yu?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"How dare you to be more better than my son?" she asked.

"My a-niang did nothing wrong." said Sizhui.

"I know." said Madam Yu.

"No need to tell me." she added.

"A-niang, what will you do?" asked Jiang Yanli.

"I didn't do anything. I only trained myself." said Wei Wuxian.

"Kneel." she ordered.

"How many times do I have to tell you stay away from my son?" she asked as she strike Wei Wuxian's back with a whip.

"Yu Ziyuan." said Qingheng-jun.

"There will be punishment for what you did." he said.

"What punishment?" she asked.

"Will that be my death?" she added.

"No one will die." said Jiang Cheng.

"What you did a-niang is wrong. Wei Wuxian is just a kid. You said you never hurt children, what is it now? I know I can never be better than my brother but it's unacceptable if you punished him like that when he did nothing wrong." he added.

"I know how much you hated him, but I never thought you would do this." said Jiang Yanli.

"Punishment will be decided after all of this." said Qingheng-jun.

"I'm the one who's going to decide for it." said Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian was silent.

Wei Wuxian can only back his screams in order to not anger Madam Yu anymore.

It was only one lash yet it hurts and unbearable for a skin of a kid.

He was ordered to kneel until dawn with his wound unattended with a promise to not tell a word to any family member he have.

"Is this the reason why never knew of this?" asked Jiang Yanli.

"Look at how great you are at hiding secrets. Will you still do it? Wei Wuxian, we could have done something if you tell us." said Jiang Cheng.

"More like nothing." said Sizhui.

"Have you forgotten how you feared you mother?" he asked.

"You don't know me." said Jiang Cheng.

"I do know you, you're just a jealous person." said Sizhui.

"A-yuan." said Wei Wuxian.

"No, a-niang. Don't stop me. You'll be leaving from them after all of this." said Sizhui.

"I didn't expect that the brother I knew will act like this to my mother who showed kindness to him." said Jingyi.

"Same here." said Jin Ling.

"Insult anyone, but not my jiujiu." he added.

What he thought of one whip lashes will make Madam Yu satisfied is far from what happened to him in the present.

After that day, he started avoiding Jiang Cheng but it was Jiang Yanli who urged him and made him realize that even if Madam Yu doesn't want him near his son, Jiang Cheng is still his little brother who only have him as his friend.

"I won't leave my brother." said Wei Wuxian.

"You have to listen to me, a-niang." said Sizhui.

"He will give you nothing but pain and suffering." he added.

"You won't decide for me." said Wei Wuxian.

"Don't be stubborn." said Sizhui.

"Wei Ying must listen to us." said Lan Wangji.

"Lan Zhan, they're are my family, shijie and Jiang Cheng." said Wei Wuxian.

"Don't force me." he added.

Since that day, every time he cause troubles or when Jiang Fengmian praised him without giving a little bit of attention to his own son, Madam Yu will summon him to the ancestral hall for punishment.

"Jiang Fengmian, won't you say anything?" asked Madam Jin.

"For once, stop being a coward." said Wen Rouhan.

"Is this because of jealousy you have towards Zangse, Yu Ziyuan?" he asked.

"She's long gone." he added.

"You're right, but why can't he forget?" Madam Yu whispered.

"You shouldn't have married each other." said Wen Rouhan.

One whip lash turned into two and turned into many more as he grew up.

No one knows about any of this except those two loyal servant of Madam Yu who inflicted the whip lashes to him.

He was never allowed to get a healer for his wound and even if he hated keeping a secrets from his siblings, he doesn't want them to worry about him knowing that Jiang Yanli will make a fuss about it and maybe even confront her mother knowing how overprotective she is. Jiang Cheng on the other hand might be always strict and mad at him, he is also an overprotective little brother and won't stop asking questions once he noticed what is amiss.

"A-xian, you know that we love you." said Jiang Yanli.

"Don't keep a secret from us ever again." he added.

"Promise, shijie." said Wei Wuxian.

He doesn't want to destroy the family he only have. Even if he wants to leave, he can't leave his siblings alone who are the only people who cared for him.

A tear fall down from Wei Wuxian's closed eyes.

"Wei Ying will leave in Gusu whether he like it or not." said Lan Wangji.

"What if I won't?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"Will you force me?" he added.

"If that's the only choice." said Sizhui.

"And what, locked me so that I won't go back to them?" asked Wei Wuxian.

"If ever." said Sizhui.

"I love how overprotective the two of you are but, I value my freedom the most." said Wei Wuxian.

"And I will go against the both of you." he added.

"Wei Ying, it's for your safety." said Lan Wangji.

"I'm safe when I'm free." said Wei Wuxian.

"I love you, Lan Zhan but don't ever think that because I love you, you can force." he added.

"I'll come with you, freely." he added with a smile.

Tonight, he was punished because of the broken engagement of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan even though he wasn't the one who broke it. He might have fight with Jin Zixuan but it was not his intention to broke it knowing how Jiang Yanli develop admiration towards the arrogant man.

She didn't let him explain but only whip him for how many times which he lost count of. It might not be zidian but it still hurts knowing how strong Madam Yu is.

That was the reason why he was here tonight.

"I'll stay is Gusu in one condition." said Wei Wuxian.

"Whatever it is." said Lan Wangji.

"If you let me have a connection with my siblings." said Wei Wuxian.

"Mn. Will do." said Lan Wangji and kissed Wei Wuxian's forehead.

After three hours of staying there, he got out of water and wore his robes back. It was already dawn, he walked back to his room hurriedly hissing every time his wounds hurts.

"When will I be out of this cruelty?" he asked in a whisper.

"After all of this, a-xian." said Jiang Yanli.

"You'll be finally free." she added.

"Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Fengmian, take this as a warning. Don't ever think of hurting my son-in-laws or you'll face my wrath." said Qingheng-jun.

"Be a good parents." he added.

_________________________________

I know you guys hated the Jiang couple so much but I can't bring myself to punished them severely but still, they will have a proper punishment.

As for Jiang Fengmian, I have this feeling that he loves Madam Yu but doesn't know hiw to show it and let the rumors about him and Zangse Sanren travel around.

Don't hate me for this but I want the both of them to realize their mistakes and try to be a good parents with a guidance of their past friends.

I still want Jiang Cheng to have a complete family because I have read a lot of fanfics where the Jiang couple were so doting to him, the three of them.

Don't hate me guys and sorry for the late update. I will try to update another chapter later.

Thank you!