Chapter 1: Meeting at the Unclean Realm
Chapter Text
Steep grey rocks towered over the broad entry gate, their tops covered in fog. The air was cool, the first promise of winter already in its smell, a stark difference to Lotus Pier where the sultriness of summer was still lingering.
Jiang Cheng had mixed feelings about the Unclean Realm. The most time he spent there was during the Sunshot Campaign, when the metallic taste of blood hardly ever left his mouth. But he also remembered it as a safe haven, the place where he could dare to close his eyes, the place that protected his sister.
But all that was long ago, and Huaisang had tried his best to make the fortress welcoming for the Cultivation Conference. Trees in autumn leaves were adding specks of bright colour to the monochromatic buildings.
“Sect leader Jiang, good to see you”, Nie Huaisang greeted him with a smile. Jiang Cheng thought it might even be sincere.
He was curious to observe the Nie Sect leader’s behaviour during the conference, now that he saw him in a different light. He had to be on his guard, too. And watch out for Jin Ling, of course. Additionally to the usual endless discussion, it seemed like a lot of tedious work ahead. But a part of him was actually looking forward to this Cultivation Conference, expecting it hopefully to not turn out as boring and not quite as frustrating as they usually do.
He bowed to his host and the other man was already starting to chatter. Jiang Cheng gave a few short answers when he saw another group approach, flying in perfectly precise formation, bright clothes radiant in the afternoon autumn sun. Except for one person, clad in black and red, shouting excitedly while they were dismounting. Jiang Cheng felt his jaw tighten. He was not in the mood to face Wei Wuxian.
The fluttering of a fan brought his attention back to the man he was facing.
“You must be tired, Sect leader Jiang. My servants will show you to your room.” He beckoned a servant and Jiang Cheng swiftly turned his back on the newcomer delegation and followed her.
~*~
During the Night Hunt competition, Jiang Cheng was seated next to Nie Huaisang, and blessedly far away from Sect Leader Yao. It was rather pleasant, idly chatting with his host.
The first place in the tournament was taken by Lan Sizhui, which came as a surprise to no-one. The second place was taken by a young woman from the Nie clan. Which came as a surprise to nearly everyone. Just as unanticipated, and much more reason for talk among the seniors of the Sects, was the untypical reaction of the Nie Sect leader who, contrary to his usual claims, seemed not unknowing at all and rather smug. Third place was taken by the young Ouyang heir, then came two Jiang disciples. He’d scold them, of course, but only a little, since two places in the top five was acceptable. What was more concerning was that not a single disciple of the Jin clan placed within the first ten.
While he was approaching his disciples to give them his dreaded criticism, Jiang Cheng saw Jin Ling meet with his friends, the Jin disciples apparently having withdrawn already. He sighed. He’d have to talk about this with his nephew.
So when the Sect Leaders made their way from the pavilion built to watch the competition to the banquet hall, Jiang Cheng intercepted his nephew. They moved a bit away from the crowd.
“Jin Ling, no reason to look so cheerful! None of the Jin Sect managed to take any of the first places in the competition. I know you’re happy your friends did well, but this does not look good for the Jin sect. Those disciples looked like amateurs. Why didn’t you bring more experienced disciples? I told you how important it was to bring the best.”
“Those were the best I had!”
Jiang Cheng threw him an unbelieving look.
“Really, uncle! There were some others, but… You told me to bring certain Jin senior disciples. But they refused to come unless I placed their favourites in the competition…”
Sparks began to sizzle around Zidian in his hand. “They refused… their sect leader’s request?”
His nephew sighed beside him. “I’m not much of a sect leader, though. I’m only still in this position because of you, really. And everyone knows it.”
Jiang Cheng wiped that remark away.
“You couldn’t have left those people in Lanling without supervision. Otherwise they might have gotten ill-advised ideas about who rules Koi Tower.” He frowned. “We really need to get you some reliable subordinates. You have to be able to leave Koi Tower for a few days without fearing a coup.”
Jin Ling looked dejected.
“Just keep it in mind, see if you find fitting disciples and how you could support them.”
Jiang Cheng felt rather helpless himself. Concerning internal Jin affairs, the aid he could lend was limited. He put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder, leading him towards the banquet hall. “Come, let’s go. Let’s see what kind of entertainment Sect Leader Nie has prepared.”
Chapter Text
He was aware he could be - and most likely would be - accused of scheming. But to be fair he had only promised not meddling in issues that didn’t concern him; and the way he saw it, his friends did concern him. Even if he wasn’t quite sure they both considered themselves his friends.
He was a bit more positive about the man sitting opposite from him now. Otherwise Jiang Cheng, infamously unsociable, wouldn’t have accepted the invitation to drinks in Huaisang’s private chambers on the evening before the last conference day. And so far it has been comparatively harmonious. Outside a cold wind bode a first taste of the coming autumn storms, but the warm light from the candles made his rooms feel sheltered.
“I can’t believe he thought that was a good idea! I know he’s young, but I thought he’d… Or at least that Ouyang kid should know better. He’s a sect heir himself, after all.”
Huaisang nodded along to the other man's words and refilled their cups. They had been drinking for a while now, gossiping about the other sect leaders and ranting about their problems. At first it had mostly been him talking, but with more time and alcohol to feel comfortable, Jiang Cheng had become more forthright.
“Did you see what sect leader Sun wore? He looked like he spent the whole night at the gambling dens. I mean, I’m glad he enjoys himself in Qinghe. But can’t he at least freshen up a little before the conference?”
He took another sip, noticed his cup was already empty again and proceeded to top up his and Jiang Cheng’s cups while the other added
“Sect leader Yaos’s outfit - seriously? Is he blind? That did not match at all. I felt insulted just by having to look at him. And it wasn’t flattering either. He looked as broad as he’s tall.”
Huaisang couldn’t suppress a giggle at that.
Jiang Cheng was relaxed. He had let his guards down, Nie Huaisang noticed. He trusted him this much. Huaisang suddenly felt guilty that he was going to exploit that. Perhaps he shouldn’t, perhaps he would no longer be trusted then.
“Jiang Cheng, actually I…”
That moment there came a thump from above and shortly after a noise from the window.
Huaisang sighed and opened the shutter. Luckily he had instructed his guards accordingly. Some things don't change.
In through the window from the roof came Wei Wuxian, letting in a cool gust from the outside.
"Is there any particular reason that you didn't use the door?"
"Boring." It was a bit eerie - the grin was the same as before, and at the same time it wasn't. It faded a little when Wei Wuxian saw who was already sitting at the table.
There was a beat of silence and that was the only reason he could make out a quiet murmur from Jiang Cheng. He didn't understand the exact words, but the dejected look on the other man's face send a shock through him. He miscalculated. He had expected anger. He could have dealt with anger. Not this. Not this subdued resignation. It got to him more than he expected. Angry, why isn't he angry? He should be angry. He felt tears well up in his eyes but held them back. No-one would believe his tears, they'd think he was acting.
He held back the sorry in his throat, too. No-one would believe that either.
But he had to do something, had to rectify this. He shouldn't have drunk, it made him feel overwhelmed and not in control.
He got up to stand in between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. He had no idea how to get out of this without being incredibly rude. He did extend the invitation, after all. "Wei-xiong...," he started.
"Did I interrupt something? You did invite me, you know."
"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Wei-xiong. But you know, stupid old me..." He tried his old act, but even to him it felt unconvincing. He could see the distrust clearly in Wei Wuxian's eyes.
"What are you trying to gain here?"
His head was spinning, trying to think of a way to solve the situation amicably. Next to him Jiang Cheng stood now, too, anger he had expected earlier now palpable.
He had to do something to disperse the tension. He turned around to face Jiang Cheng to say something but he must have tripped and the room spun and then he was lying on the ground. Jiang Cheng supported his back, having kept him from banging his head. His hip hurt, he must have bumped against the table.
The moment of silence was broken by Wei Wuxian laughing out loud.
"You just struck him right in his face."
Huaisang looked around. He was certain he did not strike anyone. Then he saw his fan lying in Jiang Cheng's lap. Oh no.
The sect leader took the accessory and smacked him on the head. It was not hard enough to break the fan or hurt him. But he was glad it wasn't one of his more heavy fans.
"Why did you even throw it?"
"I..." Huaisang pondered. "So I wouldn't fall on it?"
He glanced at the other man, who looked stern but clearly held back a laugh. Wei Wuxian had sat down at the table, still giggling. The fan was then pointed at him.
"Not. A. Word."
The young man shook his head. Huaisang got another cup from the tray and poured for him.
The hostility in the air was gone but Huaisang still tried to carefully steer towards harmless topics and with every cup refilled the mood got lighter. He made sure to covertly reclaim his fan, just in case.
“You had a crush on me?!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed.
“Of course I did. I was an impressionable teen. And honestly half of our cultivation generation had a crush on you.”
Jiang Cheng snorted.
“Seriously. You won’t believe how many times I’ve been asked for advice on how to get closer to you.”
“What did you say?”
Nie Huaisang waved his fan. “Nothing. At first, I didn’t want to. But then I saw you were made for someone else.” Huaisang smirked knowingly.
“You - you knew? Back then already?”
“Of course, Wei-xiong. At some point it must have been obvious even to Jiang-xiong.”
“Hey, what do you mean ‘even’?!”
Huaisang ignored Jiang Cheng's indignant protest and gave a dramatic sigh. “As happy as I am for your marital bliss, dear friend, I have to admit I am also a little jealous. To not only find true love, but also a partner in cultivation!” With a little wail he flung himself across the table. “I will never be so lucky!” No, he thought to himself, no one would want him, not if they knew, not after what he had done. He shoved that thought away.
“Ah well, sect leader Nie…” Wei Wuxian was giving one of his embarrassed little laughs.
Huaisang grabbed his shoulders and shook them. “What am I going to do, Wei-xiong? Who will lead the sect after me? I was fully prepared to be an uncle, but not a father. I can’t be a father. Not without a wife, too. What am I going to do?”
Wei Wuxian sheepishly patted him on the shoulder. “There’s still time. The Nie sect seems to be doing rather well.” Huaisang only answered with an unintelligible noise.
For a bit no one said anything. The candles flickered, throwing shadows on the walls and furniture. Then Jiang Cheng spoke, his voice somber.
“Better than others. Better than the Jin. Can you believe some of the older cultivators in the sect outright refused to take part in the Night Hunt Competition?! They flat out refused their sect leader!”
“Please, Jiang-xiong, don’t break my cup,” Huaisang exclaimed. “I’m rather fond of that one, you know.” He carefully freed the delicate cup from the grip of Jiang Cheng’s fist that was about to crush it (a regular occurrence at Cultivation Conferences, so maybe he shouldn’t have used one he liked).
Jiang Cheng let Huaisang take the cup from him, now looking more dejected than furious.
“That sect is a swamp. There’s hardly a cultivator I’d trust, and the rest are rookies. I’ve placed a couple of my people there, but of course they can’t openly do anything, they can merely keep him from getting assassinated in his sleep. But… that’s not enough, is it?” He looked at the other two sorrowfully. “I… I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know how I can help”. He looked like he was about to start crying, and Huaisang and Wei Wuxian looked helplessly at each other.
They’d probably be put out with Huaisang the next day if their gathering ended in a foul mood and tears, and besides they were supposed to have fond memories of this, so he was eager to direct the subject towards a more positive subject.
“Ah, that reminds me! You know who I’ve met a few weeks ago? Luo Qingyang! She was in Qinghe and she actually really helped with an investigation.”
“Luo Qingyang, Luo Qingyang,…” Huaisang sighed, he could see that Wei Wuxian had no idea who he was talking about.
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. “She gave you a bag of herbs and stood up for you, even though you harassed her and then you forget her name!”
“Oh, you mean Mian Mian! I do remember her. I met her with her husband and her daughter.” Wei Wuxian giggled. “I wonder whether she knows I’m married, too. Maybe…” Huaisang really didn’t want to hear more of Wei Wuxian’s drunken rambling about his husband, so he interjected. “Actually, I think she’s about to have another child. It must be such a hard life, as a rogue cultivator, without the support of a sect. It’s such a shame. If she were still with the Jin, maybe Young Master Jin would at least have some more support.”
He noticed that Jiang Cheng looked thoughtful, while Wei Wuxian squinted his eyes at him distrustingly. “You…” He was pointing a hand at him, nearly spilling the wine in the cup. “I’m warning you. Didn’t you say you would keep your nose out of things.” Huaisang tried to look innocent. He wasn’t sure how hostile or playful Wei Wuxian really was with his threats. It was hard to judge nowadays and they both weren’t sober. He was definitely more hostile earlier.
He put up his hands placatingly. “I’m not putting my nose into anything, Wei-xiong, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jiang Cheng gave him a contemplative look, then shrugged. “If his meddling is going to help Jin Ling, then I don’t care. He’s still got amends to make, anyway.”
Huaisang didn’t like the direction in which this was going. “No, no, no, I’m just telling you I met her. I thought she was an acquaintance of yours. I just wanted to bring some good news about an old friend.”
"She's not particularly a friend of mine. So it's not like I can ask her back. Much less into a different sect than mine."
Huaisang agreed with Jiang Cheng's reasoning. "True. I hardly know her either."
"What? You want me to ask? Is that your plan, is that why you asked me here?" Wei Wuxian exclaimed.
"I'm telling you, Wei-xiong, I am not planning anything."
"You wouldn't be able to find her house anyway, not if your sense of direction is still the same," Jiang Cheng interjected.
They all looked at their cups pensively.
"Though it would really be a relief to have an experienced, capable and trustworthy cultivator at my nephew's side."
Wei Wuxian threw up his hands. "Alright, I'll do it. But only if Nie-xiong comes along, since it was his idea."
"It wasn't my idea at all!"
"The two of you would need months, you'd get lost, take breaks, get distracted by some flower spirit or other and then give up."
Huasaing admittedly was a little annoyed by the accusations thrown at him so he snapped back at Jiang Cheng. "Why don't you come along then, to make sure we do everything right?"
"Yes, maybe I should."
"It'll be just like old times." Huaisang wasn't sure he felt as enthusiastic about it as he tried to make it sound. It might go well, it might end in disaster. His head buzzed. It was a problem for future Huaisang. For now he wanted to enjoy the illusion of having his friends back.
"Do you remember that one time Jiang-xiong hid in the temple?"
"I can't believe you fell for that Nie-xiong."
~*~
Nie Huaisang watched the guests admiring the fireworks lighting up the night skies in elaborate figures. It was a difficult but successful cultivation conference and his younger self would have been proud of being a good host. He would have been in the middle of it, enjoying the gossip.
Now he kept his distance, observing the event from the sidelines.
Sect leader Yao was talking to sect leader Ouyang, probably bad-mouthing someone. Possibly Jin Ling, who had abandoned any attempt at keeping up the clan leader front and enjoying the evening with his young friends.
Jiang Cheng seemed to finally be able to relax a little. He was still standing tall, arms crossed, a serious expression on his sharp features, but Huaisang thought that his shoulders looked less tense.
He was watching the fireworks, but glancing over to his nephew from time to time, rolling his eyes if they were being maybe a little too loud in their antics, but not intervening. Good, Huaisang thought, eye rolling is good.
Then Wei Wuxian was pulled into their group, which added a sigh and a slight head shake to the eye rolling. Lan Wangji was watching on, very nearly smiling.
It was a nice scene, peaceful, but still Huaisang felt melancholy creeping up on him. There were too many people who should have been present but were not. He pulled his cloak, heavy against the cool night, closer around him.
He was still ruminating, staring at absent persons, when someone stepped up beside him. “Now where’s that surprise, you told me of? Why don’t you show me.”
“Ah, Jiang-xiong, I’m afraid I can’t show you now. I’ll have someone fetch you tomorrow.”
They continued talking, about things of no great importance.
Later when he laid in bed he realized that he couldn’t remember the last time someone approached him, of their own accord, to just talk to him. He should feel happy about it, but couldn’t help the tears welling up in his eyes.
Huaisang led Jiang Cheng through the narrow roads of the Unclean Realm to a plain house with a big courtyard. They were welcomed by an elderly woman who guided them into one of the sheds.
“Jiang-xiong, I wanted to thank you for accommodating me a few months earlier. I thought you might want a companion for hunting. A more useful one than me.”
He pointed towards an enclosure at the back of the room where there was a litter of puppies, bustling about, snapping at each other's tails or trying to climb out of their pen. There were about half a dozen of them, their silky fur different shades of auburn, chestnut and copper.
“You can take one of the young dogs back to Lotus Pier with you. This breed is native to the Qinghe mountains, but I’ve been assured they do well in swampy terrain, too. They’re brave and clever and make excellent companions. But be advised: they have to be trained well.”
The other sect leader looked at him with a slight frown. Huaisang wasn’t sure what it meant. He grew a little nervous.
“I mean, it’s not a spiritual animal…” He took out his fan but before he could lift it up to his face, Jiang Cheng grabbed his hand and squeezed.
“Which one?”
At this point, the elderly lady interjected. “Any of them, sect leader Jiang. You can step inside and spend some time with them and see which one you find most suitable. I suggest you come several times before you choose.”
He stepped over the low barrier and got down on his knees. In an instant he was surrounded by small dogs, trying to climb up his legs, sniffing his boots, and chasing after the free ends of his robes. While Jiang Cheng was trying to look at the different dogs wiggling around him with a slight smile on his face, Huaisang saw one of the small animals eyeing the Jiang clarity bell dangling from the belt of the sect leader. Before he could warn the other man, the dog had snapped after the accessory, but stumbled over its too big paws, and the small silver ball bounced off its snout with a clear bright ring. Huaisang couldn’t help but laugh at the clumsy attempt at mischief.
Hearing the ring of the bell, the dog tried to make it bounce again, but it was caught by its owner. “Ts, ts. That’s not a toy.”
For the rest of the visit, Jiang Cheng had to keep the clarity bell out of reach or else the puppy would try to make it ring.
Just before they arrived back at the inner residence, Jiang Cheng pulled him into an alley and before Huaisang could wonder what was happening, he was engulfed in a tight embrace. It was over within a moment and the other sect leader had already turned and was back on his way towards the gates. Huaisang knew that this was all he was getting for thanks (and probably a denial it ever happened should he dare to mention it), but it was more than enough.
Notes:
I am not a dog expert.
Inspiration for this dog breed: Irish Setter, Labrador Retriever and the apparently extinct Tweed Water Spaniel
Chapter 3: Nine Heads
Notes:
Somehow when I first started writing this chapter a long time ago, my research told me that the guhuoniao has nine heads. When I revisited, this source had vanished and the other sparse sources didn't mention it. I decided to keep the nine heads, but be advised that this is probably not how the creature is in its original form in Chinese mythology.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng met up with Wei Wuxian at Koi Tower, on neutral territory. Jiang Cheng wordlessly left his new puppy in the care of his nephew.
While the two sect leaders travelled on horses, the former Yiling Patriarch insisted on his donkey, an animal Huaisang profoundly mistrusted.
Still, they made progress faster than he had expected. Or they would have, if Wei Wuxian had not led them the wrong way several times. At first Huaisang thought it was just his terrible memory like he claimed, but after the third time he suspected a ploy to drag their journey out. He was all in support of a brotherly reconciliation but he wasn’t so sure it would just happen by travelling together and the weather was getting colder and Huaisang was getting older and did not like getting uncomfortable. So he made use of the map he had the forethought to get from Hanguang-jun before the Cultivation Conference ended to speed up their journey.
They were at a parting and while Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian were arguing about which way to go (or something else - while he found it wistfully amusing at first, after a while Nie Huaisang had started to zone out when they started their quarrels) he was sneaking a glance at the map. When he looked up at the road, he saw a figure approaching. They were on foot and wearing simple clothing, but carrying a sword and when they were getting closer, he could see it was a woman, several months into her pregnancy. Nie Huaisang put a hand on Jiang Chengs shoulder, both for keeping him from lynching his brother and for alerting him to their new company.
When she approached, she greeted him respectfully. “Sect leader Nie.” Her eyes widened and she bowed again. “Sandu Shengshou!”
Before she could say any more, Wei Wuxian jumped forward “MianMian! What a coincidence! We were on our way to visit you. Jiang Cheng wouldn’t believe me that we have to turn left here!” The other man just rolled his eyes while he got down from his horse to offer the ride to the woman. “Let us accompany you home,” Nie Huaisang said. For a moment
Luo Qingyang just looked from one to the other, then nodded and got on the horse and guided it down the right path. That drew an “oh” from Wei Wuxian and a snort from Jiang Cheng.
On the way, Wei Wuxian explained very animatedly why they were there (Huaisang was surprised he stayed in his saddle and that mean donkey didn’t throw him off) but Luo Qingyang stayed determined that she was happy with the way her little family lived and did not want to be involved with any of the great sects anymore.
They were approaching the well-kept little house, but when they were nearing the front yard they saw a figure lying on the ground.
Luo Qingyang let out a shout and hurried to get down from the horse. While Jiang Cheng assisted her, Wei Wuxian rushed to help and Huaisang followed. The middle-aged man was bleeding from his shoulder and left leg.
When they got to him and helped him sit up, he grabbed Huaisang’s shoulder. “You have to save my daughter… there was a woman… bird… took her.” He was clearly under shock.
Jiang Cheng hoisted the man up and carried him inside, a dismayed Luo Qingyang next to him. Huaisang stayed behind to take care of the horses (the donkey probably wouldn’t wander away) and then followed the others inside, tapping his fan against his chin. Luo Qingyang was cleaning her husband’s wounds while the other two men did a quick search of the house and its surroundings.
When they returned Huaisang was assisting the distraught mother dressing the wounds of her husband. There was no trace of little MianMian to be found.
“These wounds look like they could stem from a huge bill. If I’m right about the age of your daughter, this could have been a guhuoniao attack. They can’t fly great distances with baggage, it should still be relatively close by. Is there a forest near where it could hide?” The others stared at him. “I mean… well, I don’t know, it just…”
“No, that actually makes sense.” Jiang Cheng frowned. “It would explain why there are no tracks leading away, no signs of a struggling child, if it was carried away through the air. It would also mean, the girl is probably still alive.”
It turned out that Nie Huaisang’s assessment was correct and they spotted the guhuoniao seated high up in a giant tree amongst fields. It was in its bird form, huge with feathers glistening in unnatural colours and nine heads adorned with enormous bulbous beaks, each ending in a sharp nail.
The girl cradled against the two breasts at its chest was crying and three heads of the demon-spirit were concentrated on her. Which still left six heads to be distracted until they were closer.
They left their horses at the edge of the forest.
Nie Huaisang paused for a moment and then took his saber with him. He was well aware that he was of no big use with it, but at least he would have something to parry with.
On the way they had discussed the best way to go about this. But they had not enough time for a well-thought-out plan and knew nothing of the territory. Luo Qingyang had at first insisted on coming with them, but they had convinced her that it was best to stay with her wounded husband. On the other hand that meant that they only had two capable fighters among them.
“Nine heads - this is not going to be easy.” He sighed. How do you distract a being with nine heads? Huaisang and Wei Wuxian scribbled a couple of talismans while Jiang Cheng was surveying the terrain. When they were ready to head out, he held out his bow to Wei Wuxian. The other stared at it for a moment but then smiled. “Ah, I’m afraid, I’m a little out of practice. You do it.” The expression on Jiang Cheng's face was unreadable, but he took back the bow.
They separated and Nie Huaisang was reminded of their pheasant hunt in Yunmeng when he hurried through the thicket as quietly as possible. He wasn’t dressed for this. They were too few, too far away. He really wasn’t sure this was going to turn out alright. He didn’t like the odds.
Then he could hear the sound of a flute coming from somewhere to his left. He sent two talismans flying, counting to three and then setting them off. While several of the monster’s heads swivelled around, trying to find the source of the wild crackling small fires, he stepped into the open. One head immediately zoomed in on him and the intense stare of the red eyes made a shiver run along his spine. He could hear a quiet buzzing and a moment later an arrow pierced two of the heads looking down at the child. The guhuoniao shrieked, opening its huge talons - and the girl fell.
Nie Huaisang ran forward towards the large tree as fast as he could. For once he wished he could fly on his saber but the Nie weapons weren’t meant for such a use. Time felt like it was slowing down. He threw another talisman, but missed and swore. They wouldn’t make it on time. The little girl was eerily quiet now, while falling. He heard a branch crack, saw a shower of leaves raining down. Then, shortly before the ground, the girl was caught. Wei Wuxian hovered on a sword just a bit above ground, his grip in the clothes of the girl. He seemed surprised himself, stunned for a moment. Then the sword tilted, and they both fell down. Wei Wuxian had the quick thinking to cradle the girl and try to roll to catch their fall. Where they were just a moment before, one bill of the monster closed around the now empty air. The guhuoniao had left the treetop. Two heads were dangling lifeless from their necks, two more were focusing in on Wei Wuxian and the girl on the ground. Nie Huaisang was still running towards them, he pulled another talisman out of his sleeves, throwing it at one of the heads that was screaming at him, temporarily blinding it. He whacked another with his saber, still sheathed, but strong enough to make it back up for a moment. Wei Wuxian was just getting up on his feet again when another one of the giant beaks shot towards his back. There was a sizzling noise and a violet glowing cord wrapped around the neck, yanking it back. Wei Wuxian grabbed his sword from the ground and cleaved the head off.
The little girl clung to his leg, obviously under shock.
When Huaisang reached them, he tried to draw her up, but saw her leg on the ground in an unnatural angle. He winced, but she apparently did not feel the pain yet.
“Down!” By instinct, Huaisang ducked low and above his head Suibian was thrust into the eyes of another head. When he looked up he was faced with another giant beak opening up right in front of him. Blindly he threw another talisman right into its gorge. It closed its beak around the paper. Not waiting for whatever effect the talisman would have, he hauled the kid up in his arms, rearranging the saber in his other hand and took off towards the treeline.
He heard a bang - so it was the explosive talisman. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no other head was coming for him. All he saw was lightning whip across the fields, blocking the way between him and the monster.
Huaisang reached the treeline and put the girl down behind one of the broader trunks. He had in all the confusion still instinctively run back to where their horses were. The child stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment. And then began to cry loudly, the pain and terror finally catching up with her. Her sobs were disrupted by short convulsions.
He took her hand, feeling along her wrist for the right meridian. He tried to remember what little he had learned during the Sunshot Campaign and started to manipulate her flow of qi. When a loud shriek sounded from the battlefield, Huaisang jolted, having been absorbed in what he was doing, but the girl didn’t move. What he had done was effective enough to put her into a deep daze, but he wasn’t sure what he was able to achieve with her broken leg.
He glanced towards the clearing to see how the fight was going. Wei Wuxian was on the ground with Suibian in hand dodging a head that was blindly hacking at him and seemed in no great danger.
Jiang Cheng danced between the attacks of two heads, Zidian coiling readily on the ground but blocking with Sandu.
He made a head back away with a blast from Sandu and let the sword drop from his hand to jump onto it. He crouched low over the blade, ducked another attack from a beak and used his upward impulse to gain momentum for Zidian to reach far out and entwine the two demon bird heads attacking him, tying them together. There was a shout of warning and Huaisang averted his eyes when there was a bright flash followed by a deafening crack.
Huaisang turned his attention back to the girl and laid her leg out straight and worked to try to at least limit the damage and lessen the pain.
He stopped when he heard voices approaching.
“Stop wriggling or I’ll drop you into a thornbush!”
“Jiang Cheng, you can really put me down. It’s not that bad, I swear. I can walk. Or I can fly. Did you see? I can fly on a sword again now.”
“You call that flying? A disciple in their first week could do better! At least they can fall off without hurting themselves!”
The other sect leader put the young man down beside their horses with more gentleness than he had just threatened to use. They were both still on the high from the battle, probably not even noticing how they fell back into their familiar bickering from decades ago. Huaisang glanced towards the tree in the fields, the smouldering body of the guhuoniao lying in a heap on the ground. Feeling queasy, he averted his eyes again. The girl’s leg looked better, but she should be brought to a proper healer as soon as possible.
“Are you alright? How is the girl?”
Huaisang was too exhausted to think about whether the concern was honest or not. He gave Jiang Cheng a tired smile and started to stand up from where he was still kneeling beside the child’s body.
“I’m unharmed. The girl broke a leg. She’s in a lot of pain, I put her to sleep and tried to heal what I…”
He felt the ground shift beneath him and everything turned black.
~*~
Nie Huaisang woke up again on a bed back in the house of Luo Qingyang, without his torn and dirty outer robe and his boots. Jiang Cheng sat on the ground next to him, his back to the bed. He briefly thought about getting up and offering him the bed, but he felt exhausted and dizzy and honestly the other man was much more used to these kinds of situations. He could see the tension leaving the Jiang sect leader’s shoulders as his body settled into a more relaxed meditation posture.
“We did well, didn’t we?” An acknowledging hum. “Well, I guess you actually did most of it.” The other man inclined his head at that. “Let’s never do something like that ever again.” Huaisang was sure there was a smile there now even if he couldn't see it. “Agreed.”
~*~
Jiang Cheng had flown to the next village to make some arrangements and call for a proper healer.
After the whole incident, Luo Qingyang as an expression of gratitude and to fulfill her debt for saving her daughter, agreed to move to Koi Tower and support Jin Ling in running the sect.
Huaisang was taking care of the horses and preparing them for their departure when Wei Wuxian came around the house to join him.
"Hey, Nie-xiong, did you see that I flew on sword again? Lan Zhan is training with me, he says I'm making good progress. You weren't that bad either" he gave him a considering look. "Didn't know you had that in you. You're full of surprises, aren't you." His tone had changed from playful to something more ominous. "I also didn't know you got along so well with Jiang Cheng."
Ah, thought Huaisang, he had expected to receive that talk some time. No matter how Wei Wuxian claimed to have severed his ties and led a new and different life, he was still fiercely protective of his family, including the one from his previous one. He sighed, running his hand over the mane of his horse while thinking of how to respond best. The other man was pretending to take care of his awful donkey, but Huaisang suspected this wasn't all he had to say.
"You promised me to stop your scheming. The Jiang sect will not fall for your machinations."
Huaisang was tired. He liked Wei Wuxian, but sometimes he was taxing. He could still feel the exhaustion from the day before in his bones, and really, he was too old and did not have the patience to play this game.
"What I said was that I will not meddle in what doesn't concern me. My affiliations are, of course, of my concern." He moved on to Jiang Cheng's steed. "You are really lucky, Wei-xiong. You have a family, people who care about you. Others are not so lucky. You can't fault me for seeking out connections. No one likes being lonely."
He checked the saddle blanket, smoothing it out. "We were fortunate to have had Sandu Shengshou with us today, without one of the best cultivators we would not have stood a chance." Seeing the incredulous look on Wei Wuxians face, he added "Jiang Wanyin did not earn a title for nothing, you know. I know it must be hard for you, you have missed so many years. But he's not your didi anymore. He built up the Jiang sect literally from ashes," Wei Wuxian winced at that, but Huaisang carried on. "He's the leader of one of main sects - a successful leader -", he added when he realized he himself was a sect leader, too, something he still sometimes tended to forget, it seemed so unreal. "And one of the most powerful current cultivators, wielding not one but two spiritual weapons."
Wei Wuxian had turned away from him, picking out straws from his donkey's mane. He was sure he heard him mumbling something about his Lan Zhan again. Huaisang sighed. It was infuriating how stubborn and stupid that otherwise so clever man could be. He went on to distribute the saddlebags to each horse and check whether they all had enough water in their trough.
"I know I just said he's not your didi anymore. What I meant was..." He wasn't sure whether pushing this directly was a good idea, but maybe in Wei Wuxian's case it was the only way to get through his thick skull. "Maybe you should visit him in Lotus Pier some time. Alone." he added hurriedly.
"He doesn't want me there. He made that very clear the last time." Huaisang could hardly make out Wei Wuxians voice.
"Alright. Well, yes. Maybe that was... very bad timing." Actually Huaisang had been preoccupied at that time, he'd only heard a few rumours later about what might had happened. "Maybe we can come up with some excuse for you to go there alone, maybe you can look for something you owned, I don't know. Don't let him dissuade you when he complains. You know him, he will complain, threaten to break your legs maybe, but he doesn't mean it, not really."
He turned towards Wei Wuxian, putting his hands on his shoulders (was this new body really so much smaller?) and made him look at him.
"He wants you around. I promise you. As a didi."
His own words made his heart hurt and he turned away to busy himself with the saddles, though he already readied them earlier.
"I don't think there's anything left that I used to own."
"Oh, I don't know. You might be surprised."
Notes:
I kind of imagine the heads to look like those of the shoebill, the beaks certainly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoebill
Chapter Text
They hadn't even crossed half of the hall, peony-carved pillars on both sides, when they heard excited barking and shortly after a puppy came running from one of the side entries, storming towards Jiang Cheng. She was followed by a more relaxed Fairy with a casually swinging tail, and a couple of seconds later by a lot less relaxed Jin disciple.
He remotely heard a whimpering sound behind him, but didn't care as he got down on his knees and opened his arms to return the enthusiastic greeting. He should probably behave more stern and stately, but he felt weary from the unexpected night hunt and the unfamiliar travelling companions, and couldn't help smiling as the puppy eagerly licked his face. Her tail was wagging so hard that her oversized hindpaws slipped on the smooth marble floor.
"Wh- wh- why are there monsters loose in the palace?!" The following shriek was sharp enough to hurt his ears. "No, no - stay away! Someone keep this beast away from me! Nie-xiong, help!"
"Fairy, heel." Jiang Cheng could hear the barely contained laughter in his nephew's voice.
Fairy obeyed and trotted back to her master's side, while the younger dog in front of Jiang Cheng only had her interest peaked by the commotion. He knew she was about to leap in delight at her supposedly new playmates behind him, so he grabbed her loose leash and got up to approach the owner of these halls.
The Jin disciple bowed deeply before him. "I'm sorry Jiang-gongzhu, they just suddenly broke free and ran away." He saw the man was trembling, so he chose to ignore him, and gave the appropriate greeting to Jin Ling. "Sect leader Jin. We have news to be discussed in private." Jiang Cheng glanced back at the two men who were still standing half-way down the hall. Wei Wuxian was trying his best to hide behind Nie Huaisang, who covered his face with his fan, but his eyes were clearly showing his amusement. "Maybe without the dogs." He handed the puppy's leash to the anxious Jin disciple and hoped this time he'd be more on guard. "Sweetheart, behave" he tried to chide the dog, but all he got was a huff and more tail-wagging.
They left the lofty hall with its carved golden pillars and waving gauze curtains for a smaller room, less sumptuously decorated, looking out towards a garden with trees and blooming peonies. Jin Ling walked across the room to close the shutters, silencing-charms automatically activating, and they waited until a servant had brought tea and refreshments.
Seated and sipping on tea, Jiang Cheng reported the events that occurred, sometimes interrupted by Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian, who felt the need to add some embellishments here and there.
They explained how the family stayed behind until they had healed enough to travel and the young sect leader nodded seriously. He suggested sending out one of his doctors, and Jiang Cheng was proud that he had this idea by himself without having to be prompted. He was a good boy and with more support and security from his own clan, he'd grow well into the role that should not have been forced on him this early. His generation should have been the one to grow up safely and peacefully.
But he could feel that Jin Ling was still a little sceptical about accepting a stranger he had never met before as his first disciple. He put a hand on the shoulder of his nephew sitting next to him.
"Luo Qingyang is a very capable cultivator, an upright person - and she was a friend of your fathers." He could see the curiosity sparking up in his eyes. He had never told his nephew much about his parents; he felt he could not do them justice, he knew he'd be consumed by his emotions. He hoped Luo Qingyang would fare better, the kid deserved to know something about his family history, something positive.
As the afternoon wore on, they came up with a plan to integrate Luo Qingyang back into the Jin sect, protect her and her family against any possible retaliation and Jin Lin seemed more positive about the arrangement by the end of it.
They had dinner served in the same room and lingered afterwards, aware that the next morning everyone would go back to their respective residences.
"Remember Jiang-xiong? You sneaked into the Library Pavilion at Cloud Recesses to put one of my books on the shelves." Jiang Cheng had been ok with sharing stories from their youth because his nephew seemed happy about it, but he didn't like the direction in which Huaisang was heading.
Jin Ling had a puzzled look on his face. "Why would you need to sneak into a library to bring a book back?"
"Well..." Nie Huaisang started. "It wasn't actually a book that originated in that library..."
Jin Ling still looked confused. Nie Huaisang seemed unbothered by the warning look Jiang Cheng shot at him. He took up his fan to hide his smug smile behind it. "It was one that I smuggled into Cloud Recesses, it wasn't exactly about something that the Lan Sect taught in their classes." Jin Ling looked as if he was about to ask another question and he decided it was better to end this discussion now. "You better stop talking or I'll break your legs."
Nie Huaisang acted shocked. "You can't! That would cause a serious diplomatic incident between our sects!"
Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian leaned over to Jin Ling and whispered to him. The young man blushed hard. "No, you must be wrong! Jiujiu would never read such books!" At that point, Huaisang failed to contain his laughter, and Jiang Cheng seriously considered throwing something at Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian lifted his hands in a pacifying gesture.
"Sorry, sorry. I better not anger the great Sandu Shengshou. Actually I wanted to ask a favour."
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow and tried to steel himself for what was to come.
"May I come some day and introduce Sizhui to uncle Jiang and aunt Yu in the ancestral hall?"
Even though he wasn't sure what he had expected, that was not it. He felt a lump form in his throat and took a long slow sip from his cup. Sizhui was a good kid, he didn't deserve to be the target of ire. He circled the cup in his hand and watched the movement of his drink. He was fed up with it, he'd had enough of the drama. He sighed.
"Alright, you can. But if you don't behave, I'll send Sweetheart in."
Wei Wuxian's face lit up, the mischief clear in his eyes. "Ooooh, is there something I don't know? A Jiang furen? Should I be afraid? What kind of woman is she? Why have I not heard anything about her yet?"
Jiang Cheng fought to hold back a smile, trying to figure out how to keep this joke going. Jin Ling rolled his eyes.
"You've met Sweetheart earlier. She's the dog Nie-gongzhu gave to my uncle."
"She's called Sweetheart?!"
"What? That's a perfectly normal name for a dog."
Wei Wuxian gave an incredulous exclamation and Huaisang giggled.
It felt strange, in some way familiar, but not the same. But not necessarily bad.
Notes:
That's it, that's the end of this series.
It's not much, but I hope you liked it.
Etrangere on Chapter 4 Mon 21 Jul 2025 08:44PM UTC
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ElenirLachlagos on Chapter 4 Tue 22 Jul 2025 06:52PM UTC
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