A/N: Hi guys! Back with a new story! As usual, this one will update every Sunday unless something comes up! I'm excited to take you on this journey as this idea has been running around my head for the last few months and I've finally had time to flush out the outline of a story. I'm excited to enter this fandom and play with new characters, and hopefully you enjoy the story as well!


Chapter 1

Nie Huaisang was far too caught up in the sights around him. It was hard not to pay attention to the busy streets of Yiling with how lively it was. In many ways, it reminded him of the streets of the Unclean Realm, so perhaps that was why he felt so comfortable slipping away from his da-ge's grasp.

It didn't help that the last few days had been torture! Da-ge had taken him on a trip to Lotus Pier for Sect business, saying it would be good for him to form a relationship with the Sect Heir who was also roughly his age. That had been what he'd said about the second heir of the Lan Sect as well, but Lan Er-Gongzi had been such a bore! He was so rigid and every time Nie Huaisang broke a rule, Lan Er-Gongzi made sure to point it out. It had been so annoying.

Jiang Gongzi wasn't much better. He didn't seem as rigid with rules, but he was far more rowdy. He wanted to practice sparing, saying he was trying to train to develop a core and it would be good practice for them to try together. Then he wanted to go swimming and he all but threw Nie Huaisang into the water. He was pretty sure he still smelled like the lake water, even after having bathed several times since then.

But now he was finally free. They were on their way back to the Unclean Realm, however Da-ge had wanted them to rest for a bit before they headed back. Which was just fine by him; he was tired and didn't want to fly on his da-ge's sword for the full trip all at once. He knew his brother probably could do it, but he was grateful for the break.

What really distracted him when it came down to it, was that he saw colourful toys that a street vendor had, and he couldn't help but want to have it to play with. So without thinking too much about it, he slipped his hand out of his brother's and headed towards the stall.

"Hello, Young Master, do you see a toy you like?" the older man asked him, as he showcased a few of the toys in his stall. "How about this butterfly? Or would you like this toy bird?"

He looked at all his options pensively, unsure of which toy would give him the most happiness. He knew his brother would probably get mad at him if he got too many toys, but one would be fine right?

"Bird, please," he said decisively, as the man handed him the toy, and he handed the man a few coins to pay for it. He grinned as he took the bird, waving it around playfully, before heading back to find his brother.

He froze as he turned away from the stall, looking out onto the busy street. He couldn't see his brother's tall figure anywhere, and it crossed his mind just then that maybe it wasn't the smartest decision to leave his brother's side to get a toy bird.

Da-ge was going to be so mad at him when he found him.

He felt a bit scared, he'd rarely been left alone outside the Unclean Realm, and he didn't remember the way back to the inn where he and his brother were staying. He knew his brother would be trying to find him, but what if he couldn't? What if he stayed lost?

He looked down at the bird in his hand, and a thought occurred to him. Maybe if he could fly like a bird, he could see his da-ge? If he were able to be up higher, he would be able to see where his brother had gone, and he could call out to him!

He looked around the street and knew it would be harder to get up on top of anything high enough from where he currently was. Maybe if he went into an alley he could climb on top of a rooftop.

He turned into the alley way before him and looked at a couple of boxes laid out. It wouldn't be enough to get him on top of the roof itself. But maybe he could find some other boxes nearby to stack on top of it to get him closer?

He looked around and froze as he heard an angry growl just then. Of all things in the alley he was in, did there have to be an angry dog?

Usually, animals loved him! They were so sweet and loving and he cherished all the pets that Da-ge allowed him to have, but this one just looked scary. He stared at it, frozen, unsure of what he should do. His brother always fought all the scary things for him, so he never had to face anything on his own.

He didn't even have a saber yet, even if he wanted one, so he wouldn't be able to defend himself if he tried. He started backing away slowly. Maybe if he tried to seem like less of a threat then the dog would leave him alone.

However, the dog growled harder at that, as if it sensed his fear. He stood still as he saw it charge towards him, and he let out a scared scream, waiting for the pain to come.

But instead of a bite, he felt himself get thrown out of the way.

As he landed on the ground, he saw a smaller boy take the blunt of the dog's attack, crying out in pain himself, as he saved Nie Huaisang from the dog's wrath.

He picked up the bird that had fallen beside him, as he tried throwing it at the dog to scare it away. As the bird hit the dog, the animal froze as he let go of the smaller boy who'd saved him. But instead of running away, the dog changed its course, and charged towards Nie Huaisang once more.

He screamed again, but a large figure stepped in front of both of them, drawing his sword out and pointing at the dog menacingly.

The dog let out a whimper as it turned around then, running quickly in the other direction.

"Da-ge!" Nie Huaisang said, unable to help the sob that escaped his chest. "Da-ge."

"Do you have any idea how scared I was when you let go of my hand?" his brother scolded him as he scoped Nie Huaisang into a hug, holding him close to his broad chest. "Never do that again, Sang-er. No matter what. Promise me."

"I promise," Nie Huaisang sobbed, holding his brother tighter, before he pulled away, remembering the other boy.

The smaller boy was still on the ground, and it was clear that the dog had not held back with its viciousness when it attacked.

He saw the deep bite marks on the smaller boy's leg, and he felt a sense of fear, knowing that the boy had gotten hurt trying to help him. The boy was shaking, either out of fear or pain, or possibly both, and Nie Huaisang knew he had to do something.

"Da-ge you have to help him! He saved me from the dog and now he's hurt!" Nie Huaisang said, feeling pained.

Nie Mingjue looked at the other boy carefully, taking in his injuries, "Can you tell me your name?" Da-ge asked him, using his soft voice that he usually reserved for Nie Huaisang.

"Wei Ying," the boy said in a small voice.

"Thank you for saving my didi, Wei Ying," Da-ge said, "My name is Nie Mingjue, and this is Nie Huaisang."

"Nie Zongzhu," Wei Ying tried to bow his head respectfully before grimacing in pain.

He felt a bit surprised at that, but Da-ge was still wearing his official sect robes, so it wasn't entirely surprising that he was recognized as sect leader.

"Can I treat your injuries?" Da-ge asked him gently, "That way it will heal for you faster. I have medicine in my room at the inn and if you are comfortable with it, I can take you back and we can get you cleaned up."

"It's okay!" Wei Ying said quickly, "I've been bit before, I usually heal after a few weeks. It's not a big deal."

Da-ge frowned at that, and Nie Huaisang couldn't help but feel a bit confused. This wasn't the first time he'd been attacked by a dog?

"Please let us treat your injuries. It is only fair for us to do so given you saved my brother. Then your injuries will heal far sooner," Da-ge said again. Wei Ying's stomach growled then, and Nie Mingjue added, "We can also buy you a meal as a thank you."

"Okay," Wei Ying put a smile on his face, "This one thanks you for your generosity."

"It is simply repaying what we owe you," his brother told him insistently, "Now, can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"

Wei Ying stood, then immediately crumpled in pain, and Da-ge was quick to scoop him up into his arms protectively.

The walk to the inn turned out to be far closer than Nie Huaisang thought, with Da-ge turning onto the next street before they'd arrived at where they had been staying.

Nie Mingjue threw open the doors to the inn, hustling Nie Huaisang in before he and Wei Ying entered. Their entrance had startled the patrons inside, as the innkeeper immediately came over to them.

"Did that street rat bother you, Nie Zongzhu?" the older lady asked, "Aiyah, I've seen him behind the building, always stealing the scraps of food we throw away. I hope he didn't try and steal money from you!"

"This boy is injured!" Nie Mingjue thundered at her in disbelief, "Can you not see how hurt he is?"

"It is hard for children on the street," the lady said, becoming a bit unsure, "But we cannot take in every child; we wouldn't be able to run our business if we did."

"He is here as my guest, you do not need to give him any charity," Nie Mingjue said, and Nie Huaisang could see Wei Ying grow uncomfortable at the exchange. How many times did he hear similar dismissals? "I will bring him up to my room and treat his injuries. Please bring some wash clothes and warm water to my room. I will pay extra for it if necessary."

"Of course, Nie Zongzhu," the lady bowed, not wanting to anger him further.

Da-ge carried Wei Ying up the stairs to the room the two of them had been staying in, and Nie Huaisang followed quickly behind them. As they entered the room, Nie Mingjue placed Wei Ying carefully on the bed, to not injure him further.

"Can I see your injury?" Da-ge asked him softly, not wanting to do anything the boy was uncomfortable with. Wei Ying nodded shyly, as his brother exposed his injury.

He could see his brother freeze at the sight, and Nie Huaisang was stunned to see other bite marks nearby, with various states of healing. The older ones had scarred, and Nie Huaisang wondered if they would ever go away.

There was a knock on the door, and his brother stepped away from Wei Ying to open it. The innkeeper came in quickly and placed a warm basket of water and some cloths on the table in the room. His brother said a few more words to the lady before she left the room with a bow.

Da-ge gently dipped a cloth into the water, before tapping it lightly on Wei Ying's leg to clean the injury.

He could see Wei Ying bristle, trying to not react too much to the pain.

"You're doing so good, Wei Ying," Nie Mingjue told him encouragingly. "Sang-er can you get some medicine for me please?"

He scrambled quickly, eager to help his da-ge. He reached into his brother's bag, pulling out the pouch of medicine his brother needed as he returned it to him.

"Thank you, Sang-er," his da-ge smiled at him. He dabbed the medicine onto Wei Ying's leg, before wrapping it up with a bandage. "There you go, Wei Ying. Your leg should be nice and healed soon."

"Thank you, Nie Zongzhu!" Wei Ying said with a smile. "I should get going now! Thank you for everything you've done."

"I promised you food too," Da-ge said, a bit amused, "Are you planning on leaving before then?"

The younger boy's stomach growled again, and Da-ge looked as if his point had been proven. "Stay for a bit longer, Wei Ying. Unless you have somewhere you need to be? Will your parents be worried if you do not go back to them?"

Wei Ying looked uncomfortable at that.

"Wei Ying?" Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. "Where are your parents?"

"They went on a night hunt," Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

"Your parents are cultivators?" Da-ge asked in surprise. "Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?"

"Four summers ago," Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

"Four summers ago," Nie Mingjue repeated. "What are your parents' names?"

"My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze," Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue's eyes.

"Wei Ying," Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, "Your parents aren't coming back."

"They promised they would," Wei Ying said with insistence, despite sounding a bit unsure. "They promised."

His voice cracked a little bit at that, and Nie Huaisang sat beside him on the bed, giving Wei Ying a tight hug. He may have been a child, but he knew enough to know that Wei Ying's parents were gone just like his own Mama and A-Die were gone.

"Da-ge," Nie Huaisang said, looking at his brother with his most pleading look. He'd used it often before, anytime he'd found a new animal that he wanted to bring home with him. And without fail, every time before it had worked.

His brother closed his eyes, weighing his options, before nodding at him, seeming to accept his suggestion.

"A-Ying, would you like to come back with Sang-er and I?" Da-ge asked him carefully.

"Back where?" Wei Ying asked in confusion.

"To Qinghe with us," Nie Mingjue said, "Our home. If you'd like it can be your home too. We can teach you how to cultivate as well.

"Just like Mama and Baba," Wei Ying said in a small voice.

"Yes," Nie Mingjue said with a smile, as he stroked the smaller boy's hair. Nie Huaisang was still cuddling with him, wanting to keep the boy close. "You can say no. Or you can come with me, and if you don't like it, you can leave. It doesn't have to be a choice that cannot be taken back."

"I don't have any money," Wei Ying said, a bit sad. And Nie Huaisang remembered the innkeeper's words. How much had Wei Ying suffered and had to give up while he had been on the streets?"

"You don't need to have any money to come with us," Da-ge told him.

"We have lots of money!" Nie Huaisang chirped helpfully, "You won't have to worry about that every again. We will give you some."

"Why?" Wei Ying asked, as if he hadn't expected something so generous to ever happen to him.

"Because you're nice and I like you!" Nie Huaisang grinned, "You saved me from the dog! And I want to be your friend."

"The Nie sect accepts all sorts of disciples," Nie Mingjue told him with a smile, "And there is no greater encapsulation of our values than what you did for my brother."

"You wouldn't just be any disciple though," Nie Huaisang protested, not wanting Wei Ying to think he'd just be some member. That wasn't what he wanted for him. "Right, Da-ge?"

Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes fondly at him, "No A-Ying. You wouldn't be an outer member, which is what is typical when members who do not belong to the Nie family are brought in. I'd like to bring you in as an inner member. But it is your choice if you want to come back with us or not."

Wei Ying looked torn at that, "Is it really okay to go back with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Nie Mingjue asked him with a frown.

"I'm a street rat," he said in a small voice, "People usually chase me out of places or hit me if they think I'm taking food. I don't want to get in your way and bother you, especially after you've been so nice to me."

"You wouldn't be in the way," Nie Mingjue told him firmly. "You are not a street rat. You are Wei Ying. Your circumstances do not determine who you are as a person. Your actions determine that. You have the heart of a cultivator; you defended my brother without even having the means to do so. That is who you are. I cannot say that it will not matter to some, but it will not matter to me nor my brother. If you would like to come with us, then we will gladly take you back to Qinghe with us and give you a home. So what do you say?"

"Yes please," Wei Ying nodded, and Nie Huaisang let out a happy laugh.

"I'm so excited! I'm going to have my own didi now! I promise to be the best gege to you, Wei Ying!" Nie Huaisang grinned as he clapped his hands.

"He's not a toy, Sang-er," Da-ge chided him gently, "You don't even know if you're older than him!"

"That's true," he pouted, "A-Ying how older are you?"

"I'm eight," Wei Ying told him, a bit unsure.

"Me too!" Nie Huaisang's eyes widened, "I was born in the fifth month though, how about you?"

"The tenth," Wei Ying said shyly.

"Perfect! You're younger than me, so you'll be my didi!" Nie Huaisang smiled smugly. "Now I don't have to the baby of the family anymore."

"You may be older, but I already feel like Wei Ying is more mature than you," Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes, causing Nie Huaisang to pout.

The innkeeper returned then with a knock, placing a few bowls of noodles on table, and placed some additional spices and seasonings. She gave Wei Ying a wary look, before turning to leave the room.

Nie Mingjue picked up one of the bowls and handed it to Wei Ying in the bed, not wanting him to move too much and re-injure himself.

"Can I have some chilli oil?" Wei Ying asked timidly, "Baba used to let me have some and I haven't had any since-"

His voice tailed off, and Nie Huaisang's heart broke for him. Only eight years old, and he had already known so much loss. Living on the streets, Wei Ying's priority would have been to eat anything to survive, regardless of taste preferences.

"Of course, Didi," Nie Huaisang said with a grin, "I told you, I'll look out for you from now! Whatever you want here on out, let your Er-ge know, and I'll make sure to get it for you, okay?"

"Thank you, Nie Gongzi," Wei Ying said politely, as Nie Huaisang handed him the jar. Oh that wouldn't do at all! He didn't want his new brother to be so formal with him like a Lan! If he wanted that, he would've kidnapped Lan Er-Gongzi to be his new brother. But he supposed he could work on wearing him down carefully over the next few days, and hopefully soon his didi would be far more relaxed around them.

Wei Ying poured several spoons of the chilli oil onto his noodles, and the smell made him want to gag. But his brother deserved to eat the noodles with all the spice he wanted, so Nie Huaisang didn't complain. He saw his da-ge look a bit pensive at the bowl as well, wondering how Wei Ying would be able to eat it all, but to both of their surprise, Wei Ying happily ate the bowl of noodles. So Nie Huaisang ignored the burning smell, and ate his own noodles instead

When they were both done, Nie Mingjue took the bowls from them and placed it aside.

"It's getting late," Da-ge told them, "You should both rest."

"I can sleep on the floor," Wei Ying said quickly, noticing they only had the one bed. He usually shared with his brother when travelling, as he hated sleeping alone when he wasn't in his own bed. And Da-ge always indulged him. And something told him that his didi could use the same comfort."

"We'll share," Nie Huaisang said without room for protest, "Please, Da-ge?"

He gave his brother his softest eyes, and his brother nodded at him indulgingly.

"Fine," he said with a nod, "Would you like me to be in the middle?"

"Yes," Nie Huaisang said eagerly, wanting to be able to still hug his brother in case he had a bad dream in the night.

Nie Mingjue climbed in between them both, and Nie Huaisang quickly settled into his side, hugging him tightly. Wei Ying looked a little unsure until Nie Mingjue pulled him in as well, and both of them were secure safely against Nie Mingjue's sides.

"Sleep," Nie Mingjue told them both, as he sent a stream of Qi to blow the flames on the candles that had kept the room lit. "We will talk more in the morning."

Nie Huaisang closed his eyes then, drifting off to sleep easily with thoughts of how excited he was to have a little brother.


Nie Mingjue woke up as the sun hit his face. He felt two weights pressed against his side, and he blinked his eyes open, taking in the two boys nestled into either of his sides.

It wasn't quite as early as when the Lans typically woke up, but it was early nonetheless. However, they had a long journey ahead of them back to Qinghe, especially given that Sang-er had hard time travelling and Wei Ying was injured.

It hadn't been his intention to bring the boy home with him initially, but after hearing his about his parents, Nie Mingjue couldn't help but feel for him.

The news about Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren had spread over the cultivation world years ago. While the former had been the head disciple of the Jiang Sect, the latter had been the disciple of Baoshan Sanren, the esteemed immortal. They may have been rogue cultivators, but they were well known, and mostly well-liked by all they had met. To hear of their deaths had been shocking.

There had been rumours that their son may have perished alongside them, however no child's body was ever found.

Wei Ying was small; smaller than a boy his age should have been, most likely due to the lack of food he had over the last few years. He would have to get his healers to look over the boy and ensure that any ailments would be taken care of and to get advice on how to heal him. A poor constitution would mean he'd have a harder time forming a core when he was older, and Nie Mingjue did not want the boy to suffer any more than he already had.

"Sang-er," he prodded his brother gently, wanting to wake him up. He wanted Wei Ying to be able to rest a bit longer, but knew they had to get going. "Sang-er."

"Let me sleep, Da-ge," Nie Huaisang whined as he buried his face deeper into Nie Mingjue's chest. "Don't want to get up."

"Don't you want to take your didi home today?" Nie Mingjue said to him, and his brother blinked his eyes awake, confused from his state of sleep.

"Didi?" Nie Huaisang said, before remembrance dawned on his face. "Yes! Let's go home, Da-ge! I want to show Wei Ying so much! I want to show him my fans and my paintings and-"

"Sang-er," Nie Mingjue cut him off gently, "You're going to need to be careful with Wei Ying, okay? He hasn't had an easy life and we want him to feel safe in our house, right? It's going to be hard for him to adjust, and we need to take it slow. Introduce him to things slowly. Make sure he knows that he is loved and make sure there is no doubt in his mind that he is our Didi. You can do that right?"

"I can!" Nie Huaisang said enthusiastically, "I'll take good care of him, Da-ge."

"I know you will," Nie Mingjue said, "Now, I'm going to talk to Nie Zonghui about our new addition since we will need preparations made for him when we get back. He will need a room in the main family wing that is close to ours. And he will need new clothes. It will be good to at least have a room prepared for him for when we arrive. Can you help Wei Ying take a bath? I'll come back and redress his leg, we'll eat, then we can leave."

"I'll help him," Sang-er nodded quickly.

Nie Mingjue wondered then if having a little brother would give Nie Huaisang a sense of responsibility now that he was no longer the youngest in their family. He certainly hoped so. But his brother was still a kid, and he had Nie Mingjue to look out for him. He didn't need to grow up just yet. So if he wanted to enjoy his youth a bit longer, Nie Mingjue wouldn't protest.

"Wei Ying," he said, waking the younger boy beside him, "It's time for you to get up."

Wei Ying looked confused where he was at first, before remembering himself.

"Nie Zongzhu," Wei Ying said, as he sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Is it time to go?"

"Almost," Nie Mingjue chuckled, glad that Wei Ying was not trying to talk Nie Mingjue out of bringing him back home or having second doubts about what they had discussed the night before, "Have a bath first. Nie Huaisang will help you."

"Okay," Wei Ying got out of bed, quicker than Nie Huaisang ever did, as Nie Huaisang moved to help him. He still struggled standing on his leg, and Nie Mingjue knew that he would most likely have to carry Wei Ying while on his sword so the boy did not hurt himself further.

He got out of the bed as well, pulling on his outer robes, before he left the room. He walked down the hall of the inn, before stopping at the one Nie Zonghui was staying in, knocking on it.

"Nie Zongzhu," Nie Zonghui said, as he opened the door. "Should I get the rest of the disciples ready to leave?"

"Soon," Nie Mingjue nodded, "I also need you to send ahead a messenger. Nie Huaisang got lost yesterday, and a boy on the street saved him from being attacked by a dog. He doesn't have any parents and I am going to bring him back as a ward to Qinghe. I want a room in the main family wing prepared for him, and I want some robes prepared for him. I'll have more tailored for him once we arrive, but it will be good for him to have some for the time being."

Nie Zonghui blinked, "I knew your brother was able to convince you to bring home all sorts of animals over the years. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he got you to bring home a new brother for him too. I'll adjust all the paperwork when we get home."

"He's the son of Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren," Nie Mingjue added, knowing that while he wished to keep the detail under wraps, it would come out eventually. And if anything, it would help establish Wei Ying as a member of the Nie Sect since his parents were cultivators themselves. However, his parents also would pose a complication due to his father's previous allegiance to the Jiang sect.

Nie Zonghui swore, "You know Jiang Zongzhu isn't going to like it if he finds out that you brought the kid home as your own family, right? Especially since this is still the Jiang sect's territory. Wei Changze was a member of the Jiang Sect and Jiang Zongzhu's head disciple before he left. He was his right-hand man too."

"If he wanted to find the boy, he would have done so by now," Nie Mingjue said firmly. It was absurd to him how close they were to Lotus Pier and Jiang Fengmian hadn't found the boy when Nie Mingjue was able to stumble upon him easily without even looking, "It's been four years since his parents died, and he didn't make any attempts to find him, or he didn't try hard enough to find Wei Ying. Either way, that boy saved my brother's life. And he has been nothing short of kind since I found him. He's my ward now."

"Of course," Nie Zonghui nodded, "Just be prepared for when Jiang Zongzhu finds out. Nothing stays a secret in the cultivation world forever."

"I know," Nie Mingjue sighed, "But I hope that by time he finds out, Wei Ying is already in Qinghe. I won't hold him there if he doesn't want to stay, but I'd like for him to have a home. I think he and Nie Huaisang could be good for each other. They're the same age, and it would be good for them to have each other to rely on. Nie Huaisang needs someone to get him to act more mature, and Wei Ying needs someone who will stand by his side and love him. Both of them lost their parents young, and it would be good for them to have each other."

"And you," Nie Zonghui added, "They'll both benefit greatly from having you as their da-ge. They are both lucky to have you in their lives."

Nie Mingjue didn't respond to that, swallowing. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to be in either of their lives, but at least when he was gone, they'd still have each other.

"We should get going," Nie Mingjue said instead. "Have the disciples eat breakfast, and once they do, we'll head back to the Unclean realm."