Author Notes: Hello, everyone! I'm no poisons expert so sorry for oversimplified explanations and a lot of dialog. Enjoy :)
Beta: JeanGirl
- Chapter Start -
They reached Koi Tower in little over an hour. Jiang Cheng couldn't remember much of the trip, save for the euphoria of having Wen Qing pressed against his back with her arms around his waist, and the sobering presence of HanGuang Jun and Wei WuXian behind them to guard their backs.
When they landed in the main courtyard, he half expected them to be surrounded by armed guards on Jin GuangShan's orders. To his surprise, the four who stood there merely greeted them before Madam Jin's female servants led them to her quarters.
Master Lan and Nie HuaiSang were sitting in the main hall, but they only paused for hasty greetings before continuing on to one of the guestrooms.
Jin GuangYao lay on the bed. He was sweating profusely, his breathing laboured and shallow. Someone had removed his hat, boots, sash and Jin Sect gold robes. Madam Jin sat beside his pillow while a tense ZeWu Jun sat facing him, directing a small stream of spiritual energy at his chest. They looked up when the others entered.
Wen Qing didn't hesitate to go over to the bed.
"Sect Leader Lan, Madam Jin," she greeted briefly, dispensing with the usual salutations.
They stood up at once, ZeWu Jun stopping the flow of energy as a relieved smile spread over his face.
"Maiden Wen, thank you for coming at such short notice."
Sitting down in his place, Wen Qing cast an experienced eye over the fine needles embedded in Jin GuangYao's pale forehead and chest. Then she placed two slender fingertips on Jin GuangYao's wrist and closed her eyes.
"Maiden Wen," Jin GuangYao spoke up. "Thank you for-"
"Hush," she said without opening her eyes.
Jin GuangYao's eyes then went to ZeWu Jun standing beside Wen Qing.
"Er-ge, I'm so-"
Wen Qing opened her eyes.
"Hush means no talking," she said sternly.
"Oh. Right."
Closing her eyes again, Wen Qing sat still for another minute before looking at him again.
"How do you feel?"
"I find it a bit hard to breathe. My arms and legs were tingling earlier like they had gone to sleep, but now I can't feel them."
He swallowed again, looking young and terrified.
"I can't feel them anymore," he repeated.
Wen Qing nodded and looked at ZeWu Jun who had gone to sit beside Jin GuangYao's pillow.
"The poison is attacking his body, starting with the nervous system. That explains the numbness in his limbs. This type of poison is typically not a fast acting one, but something is acting as a catalyst and speeding up its effects. Madam Jin managed to slow it down, but not completely."
"Xue Yang said he added something earlier," Wei WuXian said. "Could be why he's already suffering the symptoms."
"Maiden Wen, can you heal him?" ZeWu Jun's voice shook. "His golden core - can it help?"
Wen Qing shook her head.
"His golden core isn't powerful enough, unlike yours or HanGung Jun's. It's attempting to stop the poison, but it can't."
"I've been giving some of my energy to him. Won't that help?"
"You're only supporting his core, it's still not strong enough to tackle the poison on its own."
"Then what about an antidote? Can you make one?"
"I'm quite sure I can, given enough time," Wen Qing replied patiently. "But he doesn't have that."
"Then A-Yao-"
When she held up a hand and shook her head, ZeWu Jun fell silent.
"Jin GuangYao only drank a mouthful of the wine, maybe less," Wei WuXian said. "Right, Lan Zhan?"
"Mn."
"Just a mouthful?" Wen Qing repeated.
"Yes! Maybe even less since he choked on it. Does that help?"
The sound of pounding footsteps made them turn around as Sect Leader Nie and Wen Ning burst into the room. Looking rather annoyed at the growing crowd, Madam Jin uttered a 'tsk' and left.
"How is he?" Sect Leader Nie demanded without preamble. "Can he be saved?"
"A-Jie, what will happen to him if left untreated?" Wen Ning asked.
Wen Qing seemed to brace herself for imparting bad news, her slender shoulders squaring beneath her robes.
"If not for that component speeding it up, the symptoms would only manifest after several hours, slowly numbing the body until it's completely paralysed. The victim would be unable to move or talk, but would remain alive as long as they're fed and kept hydrated. The poison will then target the golden core and the internal organs, causing them to shut down one by one."
The explanation was delivered in a monotone voice, yet rendered all the more dire for it. As Wen Qing got up and went to her brother, Jiang Cheng turned to Wei WuXian, feeling the same horror mirrored in those eyes.
"I was going to share that liquor with you and HuaiSang," Wei WuXian said. "If not for Jin GuangYao's warning, I would've poisoned the three of us and we wouldn't even know it."
"And by the time the symptoms manifested..." Jiang Cheng swallowed.
"It would be too late to draw out the poison," Wen Qing concluded in a crisp voice. She glanced around the room before saying rather pointedly to Wei WuXian, "and you would be the first to die."
No one looked surprised at her words. Jiang Cheng frowned, reminded of ZeWu Jun's letter to him two days ago - that Wei WuXian's golden core had been compromised, but Jiang Cheng wasn't to broach the subject. It didn't stop him from having questions though.
Wei WuXian knew where Baoshan Sanren lived. He was the one who had told Jiang Cheng where to find her.
So why hadn't he sought her help?
She had repaired Jiang Cheng's golden core so she should be able to repair Wei WuXian's too, right?
Was it because Jiang Cheng had introduced himself as Wei WuXian and by doing so, robbed his brother of that same opportunity?
Jiang Cheng swallowed the bile rising in his throat. Unwilling to think further on that right now, he watched as ZeWu Jun sat facing Jin GuangYao again and reached for his hands.
"Er-ge, it's too late. I'm sorry."
"No. You can't leave me now. I..." ZeWu Jun trailed off and shook his head.
"Er-ge, I'm so sorry." Tears leaked from Jin GuangYao's eyes and soaked into his hair.
Jiang Cheng saw Wei WuXian wince and look down at his hand, clasped in HanGuang Jun's white knuckled grip.
"Maiden Wen, isn't there anything you can do?" Sect Leader Nie's voice was gruff and his eyes wet.
Wen Qing was looking inside a black silk pouch she had taken from Wen Ning.
"I have some knowledge of golden cores and spiritual pathways," she replied, her eyes flicking to Wei WuXian for the briefest of moments. The answering quirk of his lips made Jiang Cheng frown.
Did she know of Baoshan Sanren repairing his core?
"Since Jin GuangYao didn't take much of the poison," Wen Qing continued, "I can try to neutralise it with spiritual energy."
"Then do it!" Sect Leader Nie ordered, tacking on a hasty "please" when she raised her eyebrows at him.
"I'm a healer, Sect Leader Nie. My golden core is also average."
"Then use mine!"
"Then use mine!"
"Then use mine!"
Blinking, she took a step back as Sect Leader Nie and the Twin Jades spoke at the same time.
"Oh, use mine too!" HuaiSang popped up beside Wei WuXian, creating a mini wind with his fan that ruffled their hair and robes.
Sect Leader Nie rounded on him at once, scowling.
"You barely have enough for yourself! Your core is probably weaker than GuangYao's! That's what you get when you don't cultivate with your sword everyday!"
Wide eyed, HuaiSang shrank back and bumped into Wei WuXian who bumped into HanGuang Jun who steadied both of them with no change in expression. Then HuaiSang gave a loud gasp.
"Da-ge! Did you know you have an arrow in your right shoulder?!"
The others turned to stare at him in alarm except for the Wen siblings.
"Da-ge, you're injured?" ZeWu Jun asked in concern.
Sect Leader Nie waved a hand.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Please attend to GuangYao first."
Wen Qing sighed and shook her head.
"But Da-ge, how can you even think of donating any-" HuaiSang subsided when his brother glared at him.
Wen Qing cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.
"If you three pour your energy into me at the same time, I'll end up fried to a crisp. Jin GuangYao too. I need a strong constant flow, not a tsunami wave."
"In that case, use mine," ZeWu Jun said at once.
"I saw you giving him spiritual energy earlier. For how long?" She asked.
"A... few minutes."
"An hour at the very least," Madam Jin countered in a dry voice as she entered the room with Master Lan.
ZeWu Jun ignored her.
"Lan XiChen!" Master Lan looked appalled at his nephew's barefaced lie.
"Ah, Master Lan, it probably seemed like just minutes to him."
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at Wei WuXian's attempt to smooth over the situation.
"Maiden Wen, use mine," HanGuang Jun said.
"WangJi, you flew on Bichen for over two hours with WuXian as your passenger," ZeWu Jun protested.
"An... hour, maybe a bit more."
Wen Qing raised an eyebrow at that.
"It took us almost an hour to reach here from where you found us in the forest. What about your journey from here to there?"
HanGuang Jun ignored her.
"Lan WangJi!" Master Lan looked appalled all over again.
"Ahaha... Master Lan, Lan Zhan just meant that the journey didn't seem long, that's all!"
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes again.
"It is thanks to Jin GuangYao's note that Wei Ying didn't drink the poisoned liquor," HanGuang Jun insisted.
"In that case, I will donate my energy," Master Lan said, not to be outdone.
"After me," Sect Leader Nie growled.
"Da-ge, what about your shoulder?!" HuaiSang looked like he wanted to stamp his foot.
"What is it with all these men?" Wen Qing muttered to Madam Jin who looked liked she wanted to roll her eyes as well.
The worst thing was, Jiang Cheng agreed with them. Not that he would ever say that aloud, of course.
- Chapter End -
A/N: Thank you for reading! I meant for this to be a serious chapter - JGY's been poisoned! His soul is about to fly out! - but midway the boys hijacked the chapter and just ran away with it. We will get back to seriousness in the next chapter, I promise. Meanwhile, please leave a review if you enjoyed it and stay safe :)
