Chapter Text
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng watch tearfully as Madam Yu leaves them in the boat with Zidian tying them up. As the boat floats further down the river, Jiang Cheng struggles desperately against the spiritual weapon that prevented them from leaving.
“Jiang Cheng! Look!” Although he wasn’t able to point, he turns so that Jiang Cheng could see another boat in the distance. He could see the faint figures of Uncle Jiang and Shijie. Once the boats met, Uncle Jiang and Shijie step out onto their boats.
“What’s wrong? Why are you being tied out with Zidian here?” Uncle Jiang demands
“The Wens..have sent soldiers over to Lotus Cove. Mother is fighting with Wen Zhuliu…Father, we have to go help her!” Jiang Cheng says desperately. Uncle Jiang reaches out an arm towards Zidian, almost uncertain. He seemed surprised when the snake unraveled itself around the two boys and wrapped around his wrist.
“Father, let’s go help mother,” Jiang Cheng says desperately. “We’ll all fight and escape together.” Jiang Fengmian hesitates, then he grabs Yanli and shoves her towards her brothers and Zidian once again ties itself around them.
“Father!” Yanli and Jiang Cheng cry out. Wei Wuxian felt numb all over. All he could do was stare and cry silently as Jiang Fengmian asked him to protect A-Cheng and A-Li. Then the boat drifts away, further away from Lotus Pier. Jiang Fengmian all but ignored their cries as he headed back towards home.
“We have to go back. We have to go back now!” Wei Wuxian grabs Jiang Cheng’s arms as he tries to go back into the boat.
“Stop, Jiang Cheng! We will get revenge one day, but not right now!” Jiang Cheng slaps his hand away.
“What revenge?! We need to go back and help them!” He rages. Wei Wuxian shakes his head again.
“How? We don’t have our swords. What kind of help could we bring them? We need to get reinforcements.”
“The Jin Sect! We can contact them. Shijie, what did Jin Guangshan say about the Wens?” Yanli shakes her head, her face still streaked from tears.
“They don’t know what’s happening. They wouldn’t know to send help.” Wei Wuxian, keeping a firm hold on both his siblings said,
“We should head into town first. Jiang Cheng and I will go back to check on the situation at Lotus Pier after we get you to a safe place, alright Shijie?” Her eyes widened but she couldn't say anything in response. They check into the inn, asking the caretaker there to look after their sister and that they’d be back soon.
With so many Wen soldiers around, it wasn’t easy to sneak in, but they soon made it inside and climbed the roofs to peer into the courtyard. The sight they saw was met with horror. Bodies were piled up along the pond. The stone floor was streaked with blood and worse of all, two bodies lay motionless inside the courtroom. Jiang Cheng feels horror, anger, and sadness overwhelming him to the point that he was shaking. Wei Wuxian was shaking as well. The sight of his dead parents was all it took for him to roll silently off the roof and run back towards the forest and towards the town with Wei Wuxian hot on his heels. With a heavy heart, they tell the news to their sister who staggers backward, her expression pained.
Later that night, she falls ill from a fever and Wei Wuxian leaves to get medicine and food, telling Jiang Cheng to stay put. Jiang Cheng could hardly hear him. His whole body feels numb. Almost mindlessly, he stands up and walks outside the inn into the rain. He could see Wei Wuxian in the distance at a stand, an umbrella gripped in his hand. The Wen soldiers were out looking for them, dead or alive, but most likely dead. They pause behind Wei Wuxian, their hands reaching for their sword. Jiang Cheng reacts quickly. He takes off running. He could hear a shout and footsteps running behind him, but he didn't stop.
~
Wei Wuxian’s perspective.
When Wei Wuxian comes back, he is horrified to find both his siblings missing and could only imagine the worse. The innkeeper then hands him a note with a location on it. Fist clenched, he heads towards the location, running there despite being exhausted. To his surprise, when he got to the location, he saw Jin disciples waiting by the door of a manor.
“Jin Zixuan?” He says in shock.
“Wei Wuxian! There you are! Come inside and we’ll explain what happened.” Wei Wuxian listens as Jin Zixuan tells him that he and his men had arrived at Lotus Pier hours later after a distress signal had been seen, only to find the aftermath of the slaughter at Lotus Pier. He managed to drive off the Wens long enough to retrieve Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang’s body. Wei Wuxian pushes away the anger from the thought that if Jin Zixuan had only arrived earlier, then they could have lived. Instead, he simply dips his head slightly towards him and goes to be by his siblings’ side.
“Wei Wuxian, wait! Jiang Cheng….,” Wei Wuxian freezes at the sight of his brother on the bed. Wen Qing is beside him, feeling his pulse while Wen Ning stands awkwardly to one side. Jiang Yanli is sitting on the bed, holding Jiang Cheng’s hands and crying softly while Mianmian comforts her.
“Wen Qing, Wen Ning! What are you doing here? How…,” Jin Zixuan answers him. “They helped us. As soon as we left Lotus Pier, we encountered them. My men and I were suspicious at first but Mianmian convinced us to trust them. And it was a good decision. Wen Qing helped heal my men’s injuries and they’re recovering fast.”
“What...made you trust them,” Wei Wuxian asks quietly.
“Wen Ning helped to drug the soldiers and Wen Chao so we were able to sneak inside and save Jiang Cheng,” Mianmian says.
“What’s wrong with Jiang Cheng?” Wei Wuxian walks over to his brother’s side, his expression worried.
“He…,” Wen Qing hesitates, glancing down at Jiang Cheng then casting a look over at the people from the Jin Sect. Mianmian blinks, then stands up, beckoning Jin Zixuan to follow. They do and close the door of the room behind them. The shocking news was revealed to them.
Wei Wuxian spends the rest of the week reading medical books until finally, he finds a solution. But one that came at a great price.
The next day, Wen Qing, Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng go separate ways with Jin Zixuan and the rest. Wei Wuxian insisted that Yanli went with Jin Zixuan despite her protests and Mianmian finally convinced her. Wei Wuxian tells Wen Qing about his discovery. She protests and yells at him but after some constant nagging, she reluctantly agrees. The following day, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng head up the mountain with Wei Wuxian promising him he will be waiting at the bottom of the mountain.
When Jiang Cheng awakens, he feels different. He stands up and he freezes. It was true. His golden core truly was back. He could feel its power surging through his body. Overwhelmed with emotion, he could only bow towards his unseen savior on that mountain top.