Chapter Text
The last thing Wen Qing remembered the day she had said her final good byes to her family and Wei Wuxian was being separated from her baby brother. Both of them being dragged away and separated from one another in isolated imprisonments. Wen Ning who was shy, kind, and a quiet boy cried out to his big sister when their hands slipped from each other’s grasps, but her stern look and the pain in her own eyes was enough to make her brother stifle his tears further.
She laid there all alone for the next few days on the cold, hard ground using what little of her clothes she had for warmth. She played with the fraying threads of her red robe the only bright item in her cell reminding her of her home, her family and Wei Wuxian; who no doubt was still trying fight off the muscle relaxant she gave him before she and Wen Ning left.
Then she was taken to the main hall of Lanling Jin, the two cultivators sneered at her as they pulled her off the dirty ground.
“Wen bitch.”
She numbed herself to the name it didn’t truly matter anymore. Wen Qing was a thick-skinned woman, always taking care of those around her and never had time to care for herself. She almost laughed at the thought as a flash of a memory of a man with a hesitant smile offered her a comb. Bitterness had begun to seep in slightly but she snipped the building bark of laughter before she could let it fully out. She remembered when he cared for her, he was the only one who saw past her cold exterior much to his own. His dark eyes filled with hope and the ambitious way he spoke to her about his pride of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan.
Yet, she let him go.
She knew for what little time she would have remaining Wen Qing would never be able to tell him how grateful she was towards Jiang Cheng for loving her. She’d never be able to tell him she had loved him too. Wen Qing had never been in love before, but what she had felt with Jiang Cheng it felt like everything had fallen into place for a time.
None of that mattered anymore, not when she was being presented in front of all the people her clan leader and her brother had hurt.
Wen Ning was kneeling to her left in heavy chains and several Jin cultivators pinning him to the ground as he thrashed violently. Wen Qing stood still as stone as all eyes fell on her including that of her brother who stilled at her long-awaited presence. The man before her sat in the golden chair with his cold eyes and clenched fists. Wen Qing knew this was the father of the men her brother had murdered.
“Wen Qing, your crimes against the Jin Clan are unforgivable. Not only have you been associated with Wen Chao in his brutal massacre of Lotus Pier, the near extermination of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, dabbled with the Yiling Patriarch in his demonic cultivation, and worse of all the murder of my son, Jin Zixuan.”
Jin Guangshan kept his voice stone cold trying his best to not let emotions show in front of the other sect leaders. “You know already of our clan’s honorable request in exchange to leave the remaining Wen members alive do you not? Or did the Yiling Patriarch send you here to save his own skin.”
“Wei Wuxian did no such thing.” Wen Qing lets out a hurried response in defense of her friend, her eyes still trained to the tiled floor below her. “A-Ning and I left on our own. We came to atone for my brother’s actions as well as the ones Wen Chao has committed. It was our decision alone.”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar flurry of white robes to the side, a pair of fists clenched tightly despite the emotionless look upon his face as he listened to the gathering of the clan leaders.
“My brother and I are here to accept the punishment you see most fit Clan Leader Jin.” Wen Qing spoke clearly keeping her head bowed before the angry cultivator. She could feel all the eyes on her, most of which were glares filled with resentment for the Wens, and in association her.
“You did as my wife and I asked and turned yourself in-- an act many would find surprising to come from the Wen clan,” Jin Guangshan spoke, “Today, before the other clans we will begin your trial for the crimes that have been brought upon you.”
“Pity really, you and your brother were so promising and yet the Yiling Patriarch turned your brother into that.”
Wen Qing bit her tongue knowing her own anger would not help her brother’s and her own life. You killed him. I had no choice.
Suddenly, a roar unleashed from Wen Ning. The Jin guards using chains and sharpened spears on her brother were thrown back when he threw them off, resentful energy coming off him in waves. Wen Qing quickly stood, the guards holding her stepping back in fear of the fierce corpse letting inhumane shrieks out. He tossed some cultivators from the Gusu Lan Clan into the nearby pillars.
Wen Qing knew couldn’t let this happen again. She wasn’t there when he killed Jin Zixuan, but she could stop whoever was controlling his brother as a puppet now. Grabbing the blade from the broken spear she sliced her hand open. When they searched her earlier they kept a slim form of decency and did not check her inner robe where she kept her dizi. A gift to her from Wei Wuxian was a dizi similar to Chenqing, but was instead made of a dark brown wood with small lotus engravings on it. He teased it was a “brother-in-law” engagement gift. She brought the dizi, Zhongsikao to her lips and played a soft, delicate melody. A lullaby she heard Wei Wuxian play often at night for A-Yuan that Wen Ning also enjoyed when he would hover outside the cave at night.
Wen Ning’s cloudy gaze began to soften and clear into recognition of his sister before him, his dark eyes revealed his light gray eyes once more filled with fear and loss. He dropped to his knees fighting the feeling of takeover run through his veins.
“You know demonic cultivation.” It was a fact that everyone could see, her secret was now exposed. Wen Qing was the second known person behind Wei Wuxian to use demonic cultivation. Wen Qing placed her bleeding hands back into her lap keeping her gaze downward cast dropping back to kneel.
“Yes, I do,” Wen Qing spoke, “I had asked Wei Wuxian to teach me after my family and I laid sanctuary in the Burial Mounds. I have only used it to keep the barriers up around our home and to scare off any people threatening my family when he was away.”
“I also used it to calm A-Ning,” Wen Qing felt the waves of disgust and horror roll off the clan members here to judge her. Life or death.
“Clan Leader Jin,” A soothing voice rose from the protests and disgusted whispers causing the loud room to silence. “Perhaps Wen Qing could be of service to the Jin Clan.”
Wen Qing glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the man behind the voice. Clan Leader Lan Xichen of the Gusu Lan Clan, stood beside his stone-faced younger brother. “Might I remind you that she is a gifted doctor known for performing medical miracles.”
“Miracles would bring my son back, Clan Leader Lan.” The coldness in Jin Guangshan’s voice set the steel in her blood freezing through her.
“While Wen Qing could not bring back your son, she could provide her services in dabbling in demonic cultivation and her medical practices.” The room burst into shouts of protest and threats toward Lan Xichen who stood there silent letting the words bounce off him without a care.
“Outrageous!”
“Scandal!”
“Wen blood is demanded!”
“Witch!”
“…,” Clan Leader Jin sat frozen at the thought. He had already dabbled in demonic cultivation with Xue Yang using it to control Wen Ning just moments before, but this girl—woman before him was much more powerful than the teenager was. “I’m not convinced she would be reliable considering her clan’s betrayal on all of us—on my son.”
“Wen Qing’s branch of the Wen clan was separate from the one Wen Chao controlled and used to exterminate the Yunmeng Jiang clan as well as the havoc on the Cloud Recesses. My clan, uncle, and brother do not blame Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s family for the genocide Wen Chao committed.” Lan Xichen spoke with a calm poise, there wasn’t a hint of hesitance in his voice nor a glimmer regret. Wen Qing knew the eldest Twin Jade was kind and intelligent but she also felt afraid of the man’s calm front.
“A-Qing is good. My jiejie—she is kind and selfless,” Wen Qing snapped toward her brother whose big, sad eyes looked vacantly at her from where he had knelt from the force of her cultivation. “Please, spare jiejie. Kill me. It was my fault.”
“A-Ning sleep. It will be alright,” Wen Qing spoke, “I’ll see you when you wake.” She raised her still bleeding palm back to the dizi in front of her. Softly, she played the Yunmeng lullaby once more to force her brother’s eyes shut and to fall into an endless slumber.
“Take the corpse to the prisons prepare him for execution,” Jin Guangshan spoke, “As for the demonic cultivator leave her here, the rest of you will leave.”
“Sect Leader Lan, while you made a compelling case in defense of the Wen siblings I will have revenge for my son and grandson.”
Lan Xichen subtly nudged his brother’s knee prompting the second Jade Twin to bow before the Jin Sect Leader whom the latter did quite tensely. Wen Qing gave the two brothers a grim smile sending Lan Xichen a silent thanks for the attempt to save her life. Though everyone in the room knew it was damned from the start. Three of Jin Guangshan’s cultivators remained in the banquet hall as well as a man cloaked in black and blue who emerged from an unnoticeable corner. Something small glowed in his hand.
“Why do you have that?”
“Wen Qing you are an incredibly intelligent woman, why do you think he is here?”
“You were the one who made A-Ning to start attacking.”
“Well done Miss Wen,” Jin Guangshan spoke with amusement as he stood up from his golden throne, his hands linked together behind his back. “Lan Sect Leader stated you were intelligent—even Wen Chao implied it as well, but I never thought a woman would be capable to perform demonic cultivation.”
“So, you intend to execute my didi and I right? Now that everyone knows about Wen Ning being a fierce corpse and I practice demonic cultivation.” Wen Qing rose, if she were to die she would not be so obedient as she was prior. Jin Guangshan approached Wen Qing circling her a few times as he examined the shorter woman. He reached out and played with a silky strand of inky hair before letting it slide from his grasp.
“I have a proposition instead Wen Qing,” Jin Guangshan spoke, “In exchange for you and your brother to live, you work for me. Use your abilities in demonic cultivation and I will allow your brother to live.”
“What about my family?”
“Oh, yes the rest of the Wens,” He paused behind her examining her battered frame before smirking, “I will honor my agreement I will not allow my clan to harm them as I already presented. Going back on my word is not honorable and I have no intentions of doing so.”
“How do I know you will keep this deal? There is a lot at stake on my end.” Wen Qing stared down the man in black and blue, his gray eyes deepened with hatred.
“Because, I know Wei Wuxian will not survive this battle and you are the only other demonic cultivator who knows what they are doing.”
There it was. The only thing keeping her from being burnt into ash was her pushing of needing to learn demonic cultivation from her friend. One who would not be in this world for much longer.
“You need me to use my dabbling in the forbidden cultivation for your manipulation and game and teach those here to use it, is that it?” Wen Qing laughed. She couldn’t help it especially when the teenager before her glared at her even more. “In exchange for my services, you will keep my family and my didi alive? That’s what you are trying to strike with me.”
“You refuse?”
“No.”
Wen Qing turned to face Jin Guangshan whose eyes narrowed at the strong-willed-woman; her knuckles turned white for gipping her dizi too tightly in her hands. Her dark eyes scanned over the man’s features: his eyes were still filled with deception. Those eyes were the only thing keeping her grounded as she was reminded of the children waiting for Wei Wuxian to wake up and discover they were gone. It would be death waiting them if she and A-Ning were to die.
“I will accept,” Wen Qing paused, “But, Wei Wuxian will come for my didi and I. He will know if we are kept here.”
“I plan on having you and that thing killed Wen,” Jin Guangshan spoke raising an eyebrow, “To the public that is, but there are some conditions on this deal.”
“You will receive a new name and work in the palace as a servant, possibly to my daughter in law. When I request of you, you will come—it will not matter day or night or how long it may take. You will also no longer be able to see your brother again.”
“You can’t—”
“I have plans for your brother, but until I decide he will be kept somewhere remote,” Jin Guangshan paused sending a cold glare toward Wen Qing whose face was paralyzed with fear. “Be glad I’m keeping him alive. Might I remind you; he killed my son. Did I make that clear Wen Qing?”
Wen Qing let out a long breath before she hid her dizi once more into her inner robe, extending her hand forward took all the strength she could muster. The faces she grew up with, loved, and cared for sending her the strength to sign the rest of her life away.
“I agree, Jin Sect Leader Jin Guangshan.”
“I also agree to our deal—” He paused examining her up and down before smirking once more as he squeezed her hand. “Bao Ying”