Everything was going well… in theory.
Huaisang had surprisingly returned to them like he'd promised. Though he'd brought far too many supplies for him to carry on his own. Lan Xichen ended up shouldering the weight for him even though Huaisang had practically begged him not to.
Wei Wuxian should have been having fun spending time with Lan Zhan while tracking down a killer. He loved the mental exercise of looking for clues and striking up conversations with strangers they passed to learn more about their quarry.
He loved the quiet things too of course – cooking, gardening, listening to Lan Zhan practice his guqin, fishing while Lan Zhan read nearby. But having another mystery, another adventure, should have been just the thing to sate his hunger for a challenge.
But he was miserable.
The boys and Wen Ning had been gone for too long and a dull, blunted sense of dread had set in that increased with each hour they remained away.
Wei Wuxian missed Sizhui's radiant smile and his kind-hearted spirit. He wanted nothing more than to sit down with him and hear every detail of his new travels with Wen Ning. But instead, he was left wondering if he should have taken Jiang Cheng's side from the start.
At least the time was fast approaching that Jiang Cheng would check in on his nephew. Wei Wuxian didn't have long to wait.
Naturally, Jiang Cheng kept his distance from him, occasionally shooting nasty looks in his direction. For the most part, Wei Wuxian was able to ignore him. Huaisang, however, was very nervous each time he noticed.
Funnily enough, Jiang Cheng's glaring had decreased… for a very interesting reason.
Initially upon their return, Jiang Cheng had moved off to walk alone at the edge of their group. Lan Xichen had meandered back and forth between Lan Zhan and Huaisang, making small talk or adding another piece of information that he'd remembered from his time in Jinlintai.
Notably, Huaisang always jumped or shifted away as Lan Xichen approached him. Wei Wuxian didn't know if this behavior would affect their group in the long run, but he hoped not. There was already tension between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. Huaisang didn't need to bring any more trouble.
Lan Xichen eventually noticed Jiang Cheng's glares. Wei Wuxian had expected him to disdainfully ignore him like Lan Zhan did, or at least to avoid him like most people did when he was in a foul mood.
But Lan Xichen did neither of these things.
Instead, a flash of sorrow passed behind his eyes, immediately replaced by a gentle smile as he glided over to engage Jiang Cheng in conversation.
Needless to say, Wei Wuxian was shocked, but Jiang Cheng seemed even more so. He had furrowed his brow and cast a quick glance at Wei Wuxian, as if to wordlessly ask if this was his doing. When he realized that Wei Wuxian was surprised too, he hesitantly began to speak with Lan Xichen.
The pink in his cheeks was faint and might have been missed by anyone else. But Wei Wuxian noticed.
That, too, should have been something that brightened Wei Wuxian's mood. But somehow, being around Jiang Cheng was getting harder with each passing day. He wanted to be away from him.
But they were there, walking on opposite sides of their group, aimed at a common goal, yet determined to part ways as soon as it was met…
…and Jin Ling, A-Yuan, and Jingyi were away, possibly hurt…
…and he and Lan Zhan hadn't been intimate with one another since Huaisang had interrupted them in the woods…
…and as much as he liked the challenge of a hunt, he was realizing more and more that he preferred the tranquility of a simple life.
Things weren't going his way.
Then again, when had they ever?
Lan Zhan's deep voice spoke from beside him, "Something is bothering you."
Despite himself, Wei Wuxian grinned up at him. A reflex, perhaps.
"You've been quieter since you failed to make a portal to Jin Ling," he said. "Is that what's been bothering you?"
Wei Wuxian felt his smile slip by several degrees. It hadn't been the issue he'd been thinking of at the moment, but Lan Zhan wasn't wrong either. That really had been bothering him.
"It's nothing," Wei Wuxian insisted. "I don't-"
"You do care," Lan Zhan interrupted. "You always care."
He should have known that brushing him off wouldn't work. Lan Zhan knew him too well now.
Wei Wuxian allowed his shoulders to slump and dropped the grin that had already half-faded. There was no point pretending.
"I just don't understand," he said quietly so that neither Jiang Cheng nor Huaisang would be able to hear him. "We made amends. And, for my part, I care about him. So, what happened? Has he not actually forgiven me? Does he now think it didn't work because I don't care about him?"
Lan Zhan murmured even more softly than Wei Wuxian had, "I have a theory, one that does not depend on Jin Ling harboring a secret hatred of you."
Wei Wuxian perked up. "Tell me."
"Nie Huaisang," Lan Zhan said definitively, as if the name alone explained everything.
But actually… it did explain everything, or at least something.
"Huaisang can link to both me and Jiang Cheng," Wei Wuxian said.
Lan Zhan nodded.
"But I don't feel connected to him."
He felt a little bad to say it, but it was true. Whatever friendship they'd had was gone and Wei Wuxian was skeptical that it could be rebuilt.
Lan Zhan nodded again.
"So…links are decided by how connected the caster feels to the target? That still doesn't make sense. I told you that I still care about Jin Ling."
"Of course you do," Lan Zhan said. "But if you felt that Jin Ling didn't care about you, it might affect how you perceived your connection."
Wei Wuxian racked his brain. What was it that Jin Ling had said to him? Oh, he knew it was something, but he'd also done his best to strike it from his memory.
You're not my family.
"I remember," he said quietly. "I remember what it was."
"Mn," Lan Zhan said with a knowing nod.
"So I fix it by just… feeling like we still have a connection?"
Jiang Cheng shot them a death glare then, and Wei Wuxian worried he might have overheard them. A moment more of contemplation, however, made it clear to him that he hadn't. Jiang Cheng wouldn't miss the chance to rub in the fact that Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian had no bond to one another.
Wei Wuxian relaxed.
"Jin Ling says many things out of anger," Lan Zhan said, returning the ugly look that Jiang Cheng had given. "I think he often doesn't mean what he says. He seemed hurt that you couldn't link to him. He cares."
Wei Wuxian watched his own feet step along the path. He shifted his course slightly to avoid crushing a beetle with a pretty, iridescent carapace. Lan Zhan's eyes were burning a hole in the back of his neck.
"He takes after Jiang Cheng that way," Wei Wuxian said, daring to glance up at Lan Zhan just in time to see his face harden.
"Don't mention him," he said sternly.
Wei Wuxian returned his gaze to the ground. "Very well."
Though it was going to be hard not to mention Jiang Cheng at all when he was part of their team.
They walked in silence then. Perhaps Lan Zhan was still offended. Or maybe he had nothing more to say. Regardless, he didn't attempt to rekindle their conversation.
And so, they walked.
Wei Wuxian could sense Huaisang's eyes upon him. The feeling of his watching him was more annoying than it usually was.
Ever since Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen returned to the group, he had been oddly fixated on both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian.
At first, Wei Wuxian had found his observation to be borderline amusing. What was it that he hoped to glean? Could Jiang Cheng make his hatred any more obvious? It was no secret where they stood with one another now that no secrets stood between them. Jiang Cheng would tolerate him and no longer hunted him, but he would not break bread with him.
They were like strangers now.
As Huaisang had continued his scrutiny of them, Wei Wuxian found more and more that he did not like being watched. He felt some sort of judgement emanating from him, like Huaisang was looking down his nose at him.
But what could he possibly judge him for? Wei Wuxian wasn't the one who had been willing to sacrifice children to achieve justice for someone else. Wei Wuxian hadn't set up a friend to have to kill someone they cared for. Wei Wuxian wasn't the one who had been pulling the strings on everyone else for the past couple of months.
So what the hell made Huaisang think he was in any position to be judging him?
"Wei Wuxian! Could I speak with you?" Huaisang called to him as if he'd seen the thoughts bouncing around in his head.
"Uh sure?" Wei Wuxian replied with a sideways look at Lan Zhan, who looked as baffled as he felt.
It seemed a mystery as to why Huaisang had called to him… unless he really could see his thoughts! But no, Huaisang was one to avoid confrontation. He would never bring it up to Wei Wuxian if he'd actually glimpsed his opinion of him.
"What is it?" Wei Wuxian asked when he'd reached Huaisang's side. He was acutely aware of how close he was standing to Jiang Cheng now and hoped to speed their conversation along as much as possible.
Huaisang fidgeted the way he usually did when he was going to ask something that he didn't want to ask.
"I was wondering," he said, "how you've been doing with all of this?"
Wei Wuxian cocked his head to one side, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Huaisang said, wringing his hands, "you were very worried about young Jin Ling and the Lan juniors, and you haven't spoken a word with Jiang Cheng for more than a day, so-"
"Have you failed to notice how Jiang Cheng reacts any time I try to talk to him?"
"Sure, but-"
"But what?" Wei Wuxian snapped. "Why are you so invested in how much I talk with him? Do you think me unaware that you've been watching us?"
"You're both my friends. I'm worried about you."
A sudden shock of guilt coursed throughout his body. Wei Wuxian hesitated midstride, forcing Huaisang to slow down and even backtrack some to continue talking.
"Friends or not," Wei Wuxian said, clumsily recovering, "Jiang Cheng and I don't get along anymore. That's just the way things are now."
Huaisang narrowed his eyes and relaxed the muscles of his brow and cheeks – a look of utter disappointment.
"You could try harder."
Wei Wuxian wanted to jab his finger in Jiang Cheng's direction to emphasize his point that he wouldn't come near him. But, he caught himself before gesturing and giving away who they were talking about.
However, in stopping himself from committing this mistake, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jiang Cheng was watching them intensely. And this wasn't the occasional scowl thrown in Wei Wuxian's direction to remind him how much he hated him. No, this was a dark, scary look that didn't waver from its target.
Wei Wuxian stiffened. Huaisang seemed to notice this and cast a furtive glance in Jiang Cheng's direction.
"Why is he looking at us like that?" Huaisang asked, holding his fan in front of his mouth so no one would be able to read his lips.
"Probably because he suspects that we're talking about him," Wei Wuxian said tersely. "Could you stop staring at him and confirming that fact?"
Huaisang let out a small squeak and turned his back on Jiang Cheng, but it was too late. The damage was done.
"What, dare I ask," Jiang Cheng growled, "could the two of you be discussing?"
Lan Zhan's hand drifted toward Bichen. If Wei Wuxian wasn't mistaken, Lan Xichen had tensed a little too.
"Presumptuous, don't you think?" Wei Wuxian retorted without missing a beat. "Do you think that you're the topic of conversation here? Everyone is talking about you at all times. Is that it?"
"You-!"
"Wei Wuxian, please."
Jiang Cheng had given his usual 'I'm so angry I can't think of a response' response. But, Lan Xichen's voice had come as quite the surprise.
Lan Zhan looked between his brother and Wei Wuxian, as if trying to make sure he'd heard clearly.
In all things involving Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng was the one to overreact. He was the one that needed calming down. He was the one that needed someone to step in and intervene before he turned a verbal spar into a physical one.
And even now, it was clear who had instigated things. So why had Lan Xichen spoken up as he had, as if it were Jiang Cheng who needed protecting?
Jiang Cheng himself seemed shocked. His shoulders dropped by a tiny fraction.
"Sorry, Zewu-jun," Wei Wuxian said blankly.
What else was there to say? He wasn't going to tell Zewu-jun to keep his nose out of other people's business. At least, not with Lan Zhan present.
"We need to foster harmony within our group," Lan Xichen said, looking between Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. "If Xue Yang turns out to be stronger than expected, I fear what may happen if you two have to depend on one another."
Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue. Lan Xichen had a point, though. It was something that Wei Wuxian was a little concerned about too.
If Jiang Cheng had to follow Wei Wuxian's guidance, there would be trouble. Likewise, if Wei Wuxian had to follow Jiang Cheng, he wouldn't be able to question him at all without adding fire their feud.
"You won't find me needing to depend on him anytime so – Wei Wuxian?!"
Jiang Cheng called out his name in surprise as Wei Wuxian collided with an unseen force and was sent careening backward onto the forest floor. It hadn't hurt, but it did knock the wind out of him.
"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan shouted.
He tried to reach him but the unseen force from before materialized into a wall of black smoke that ascended to the sky as far as the eye could see.
Aside from Huaisang's nervous squeaking and Jiang Cheng's loudly uttered curses, Wei Wuxian could hear nothing from the rest of their group. It was highly unlikely that both of them – Lan Zhan and Lan Xichen – were perfectly silent over there. More likely was the possibility that this wall was so thick it could block out the sounds of their group calling to them from the other side.
"What are we going to do?" Huaisang cried as he plopped onto the ground in despair.
Wei Wuxian didn't answer him. He sprang up from his bed of leaves and confidently approached the wall again.
"There's an incredible amount of resentful energy emanating from this," he said quietly, reaching his fingers toward the smoke.
"Are you an idiot?!" Jiang Cheng barked. "Don't touch that again!"
Disregarding his command (and insult), Wei Wuxian moved his hand into the smoke, his curiosity piqued.
Yet again, an invisible force slammed into him with all the power of a typhoon.
Huaisang half-heartedly held out an arm as if to catch him. Jiang Cheng simply shook his head as Wei Wuxian landed hard on his backside again.
"Why did I ever bother?" Jiang Cheng remarked coldly.
Wei Wuxian ignored him again. It was the best course of action really. Arguing meant wasting time, and his time was better spent figuring out how to get back to Lan Zhan and away from Jiang Cheng.
If he had to, he could always resort to making Jiang Cheng uncomfortable by oversharing and lamenting the number of fun-filled nights he'd missed out on with Lan Zhan over the past few days.
But, he didn't know how effective that tactic would be. Jiang Cheng was beginning to show resilience.
"Are you listening to me at all?!" Jiang Cheng asked when Wei Wuxian stood and approached the wall yet again. "You act on impulse only. After all these years, you've never learned."
Would it be more prudent to bring up Lan Xichen? Wei Wuxian was seriously curious about what was going on with those two, and although Jiang Cheng would respond with the same dismissive words regardless of the real answer, the real answer would still be given as long as Wei Wuxian looked hard enough for it.
No, he decided. That would be more trouble than it's worth.
"This is interesting," Wei Wuxian said, speaking as if Jiang Cheng hadn't uttered a word.
His face turned a dangerous shade of red. Wei Wuxian would have to recognize him next time he spoke, unless he wanted to have his fist in his stomach again.
"This is the work of a demonic cultivator," Wei Wuxian continued. "The wall draws resentment from the corpses in the vicinity."
"Is it X-Xue Yang then?" Huaisang asked.
"Maybe," Wei Wuxian said. "But I can take care of it."
Huaisang's eyes were wide with amazement like they were all back at school and he was waiting for Wei Wuxian to explain a difficult topic to him.
Jiang Cheng merely folded his arms and rolled his eyes, an attitude that also coincidentally reminded Wei Wuxian of his schooling in the Cloud Recesses.
Why was he so nostalgic today?
"So, are you going to take this wall down or do I have to do it myself?" Jiang Cheng asked heatedly. "You said there's nothing special about it. Why do you delay? Is it actually beyond your capabilities to remove?"
"I said I could do it, so I can do it," Wei Wuxian replied. "I'll just need to test a few things first."
"Really?!" Huaisang said in amazement that seemed a little too energetic to be genuine.
Wei Wuxian cast a sideways glance at him. "Does anyone have something to write on?"
Jiang Cheng's scowl deepened when Wei Wuxian turned toward him expectantly.
"You prepare for everything, don't you?" Wei Wuxian prompted him.
"And somehow I wasn't prepared for you to try to take my things," Jiang Cheng said sourly.
"Is it so bad to donate to the effort?"
"What effort? Your effort to keep getting thrown on your ass?"
"The effort of dissipating this energy so that you and I can go back to ignoring one another."
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.
"Feeling dizzy yet?" Wei Wuxian asked without thinking.
Jiang Cheng looked taken aback, and for good reason. That was a question that Wei Wuxian had often jokingly asked him in their youth. Almost any time Jiang Cheng had gotten into one of his aloof moods and started showing the whites of his eyes, Wei Wuxian had asked him if he was feeling dizzy. Although that would often garner one last eyeroll, no more would follow… for a while.
There were only two instances that he could recall in which it hadn't worked to settle him. Once when he'd tried to cheer him up after besting him in the first archery competition that Jiang Fengmian had attended and then again when Wei Wuxian had gotten both of them in trouble with Madam Yu for stealing what they'd thought was wine from her personal things only to discover that it had actually been a very ornate bottle of perfume.
Although he hadn't meant to say what he had, Wei Wuxian still couldn't count this as a failed use of his phrase. Jiang Cheng was thoroughly shocked out of his annoyance and didn't roll his eyes again.
Instead, he reached into his bag, retrieved what Wei Wuxian had asked for among the organized contents within, and thrust the paper, brush, and inkwell into his chest.
"Take it then," he growled, his gray eyes fixed on his own outstretched arm rather than Wei Wuxian's face.
Wei Wuxian cleared his throat awkwardly and accepted the items without comment.
He then set to work scrawling a talisman that he'd only used once or twice before. Jiang Cheng and Huaisang both watched him over his shoulders, neither bothering to conceal their interest.
"That looks made up," Jiang Cheng remarked.
"So were my black wind flags," Wei Wuxian replied, not without a touch of pridefulness. "And look how widely they're used now."
He didn't miss the tightening of Jiang Cheng's fist nor the clench of his jaw, but he also knew that Jiang Cheng wasn't likely to hit him yet. Not when he still needed him to bring down this mysterious barricade.
Wei Wuxian whispered a few words under his breath and smacked the paper onto the face of the wall.
Huaisang and Jiang Cheng took a step back (many steps in Huaisang's case) as if they expected the smoke to burst into flames and explode. However, the talisman remained where it was placed. As did the wall.
"Look!" Huaisang exclaimed, pointing at the area immediately around the paper.
The smoke twisted away from the edges. The talisman began to slip from the wall's surface as the smoke fled from it.
"…can't go on forever," Wei Wuxian heard a voice saying on the other side. "There's no need to take drastic measures yet, Wangji. We can split up and try to go around."
When all of the smoke had abandoned the talisman, it fluttered to the ground, leaving a small rectangular hole behind.
All three of them hurried forward, but Wei Wuxian got to the opening first and had the best view through it. Lan Xichen had one hand on Lan Zhan's shoulder even though the latter looked as though he may level the entire forest around him.
"Hi there!" Wei Wuxian called to them.
Lan Zhan snapped to attention and was by the wall in an instant.
"Wei Ying!" he breathed. "How-?"
The rest of his question was interrupted by his realization that the hole was slowly closing itself up again.
On the surface, he didn't seem frantic anymore, but Wei Wuxian knew that he was. Lan Zhan was afraid to be separated from him. And who could blame him? Things didn't often go well when they weren't there to protect one another.
"Is everyone all right on your end?" Lan Xichen asked, taking advantage of his brother's hesitation.
"Everyone is fine over here, Zewu-jun!" Wei Wuxian replied. "No need to worry. Keep your eyes open, though. There's got to be a demonic cultivator nearby."
"Xue Yang?" Lan Zhan murmured, brow furrowed.
"Very likely. Whoever it is, though, may be on either side of this barrier," Wei Wuxian said, speaking quickly. The hole in the wall had already shrunk to the size of a plum. "I'll keep working on a way through. Until then, stay safe. We'll find our way back to you. I promise." Wei Wuxian said the last part as a whisper, trying to speak directly to Lan Zhan, though he was sure the others could have heard it if they'd tried.
Jiang Cheng certainly had.
When the hole collapsed in a swirl of black smoke, Wei Wuxian turned back around to find Jiang Cheng with his arms crossed again. He had that annoyed expression he often wore when Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan were affectionate toward one another in front of him.
"Am I to expect that you'll be demanding more supplies from me?" Jiang Cheng asked testily.
"If you were also expecting that I'd remove the barrier like I said that I would, then yes," Wei Wuxian retorted.
"Maybe if you carried your own things instead of having your lover carry everything for you-"
"Why would I do that?" Wei Wuxian interjected. "Lan Zhan is big and strong, stronger than me, believe me." Jiang Cheng grimaced at his suggestive tone. "So why would I bother tiring myself out carrying everything?"
"So you don't look pathetic."
"What can I say?" Wei Wuxian asked, spreading his arms wide and grinning even though Jiang Cheng was getting on his nerves. "This body is more pathetic than my old one. Not much to be done about that!"
"You could – oh forget it," Jiang Cheng said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you end up using all of my supplies, I'll break your legs."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to break my arms? That's what I'm using to-"
Jiang Cheng's withering glare stopped him midsentence.
"Fine," Wei Wuxian said with an exaggerated sigh. "Break what you want. I'm feeling generous."
They sized one another up for a moment or two before Huaisang interrupted them with a clap of his hands. "It's time for us to get to work, isn't it?"
"You mean time for me to – where are you going?"
Huaisang had immediately stopped paying attention to them. He turned on his heel and wandered off into the trees, eyes fixed on something that Wei Wuxian couldn't see.
A dark bird ruffled its feathers as he passed it and took off into the sky. As he watched it, Wei Wuxian had the sneaking suspicion that someone else was watching it too. Someone else knew that they were there.
"Where are you going?!" Wei Wuxian repeated.
Huaisang didn't answer except to frantically motion for them to follow him before slipping between the trees and disappearing.
"What? Now we have to go on whatever little trip he wants to take us on?" Jiang Cheng hissed.
"Apparently."
Wei Wuxian set off after him. Jiang Cheng followed suit but, Wei Wuxian noticed, not without hesitation.
There was a lot of resentful energy radiating from the path in front of them. However, this felt different than the wall. It wasn't drawing from anywhere else. It was its own power. And it was significant. More than any corpse.
Could it be a demon?
The thought excited him. He admittedly didn't know a lot about demons. Wei Wuxian worked primarily with ghosts, corpses, and monsters. Demons were a rarity. And as such, he'd had precious little time to devote to their study.
But he did know a few things. And those things that he did know made him grudgingly thankful that it was Jiang Cheng who was accompanying him in their chase rather than clunky, clumsy Huaisang. It was going to be difficult enough to try to sneak up on the demon without having one of them prone to crashing through underbrush without a second thought.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Cheng demanded when he noticed that Wei Wuxian had veered to the right.
"Huaisang's tracks very clearly go this way," Wei Wuxian explained.
"No they don't. They're right in front of me."
Wei Wuxian didn't believe him. Or rather, he trusted his own hunting skills far more.
But he still wandered over toward where Jiang Cheng was pointing, just to humor him. As much as it irked him to do so, he knew he needed to play nicely with Jiang Cheng for now to ensure Huaisang's safety. After that, they would go back to the way things used to be.
The soil was damp from the light rain shower last night. And there, pressed deep into that pliable surface, was a footprint identical to the ones that Wei Wuxian had been following.
Mouth agape, he looked up at Jiang Cheng's smug expression.
"Ready to admit I was right?"
"I can't say you were wrong," Wei Wuxian conceded. "But that's not the whole picture. Come here."
Together, they knelt down beside the tracks that Wei Wuxian had first noted.
Jiang Cheng frowned. "They're exactly the same," he said.
"The same pressure in the same places," Wei Wuxian concurred. "The right foot even has a slight twist inward in both sets. All details are identical."
"That's… not possible. Huaisang couldn't have been walking beside himself."
"I agree. It's like there were two Huaisangs walking here."
Jiang Cheng's face slackened, then hardened. A twisted smile spread across his lips and his eyes were suddenly alight with a hatred that Wei Wuxian had only seen directed at himself and the Wens.
He instinctively backed away.
"I know what this is," Jiang Cheng said with deadly intent. "I've seen this thing before. And I'm going to kill it."
"What?"
Jiang Cheng didn't clarify. He drew Sandu, causing Wei Wuxian to back away from him even further. Jiang Cheng turned on his heel and stalked off deeper into the woods.
"Unbelievable," Wei Wuxian muttered under his breath, trotting to keep up. "Always has to have a shortcut or some secret to hold over me. Would it benefit him to tell me? Noooo. That would mean giving up the advantage. And he says that I keep secrets."
"Shut up," Jiang Cheng said sharply without turning around. "I ran into this thing before when Jin Ling went to the Unclean Realm without telling me."
Wei Wuxian's curiosity piqued. "You didn't bother to mention this to anyone?" he said. "Have you seen it take different forms? How strong is it? Do you know what its true form looks like? How-?"
"Do you ever shut up?"
"Not really. You know that."
"You're going to give away our position."
"You're going to do that yourself if you put your foot down there."
Jiang Cheng froze midstep. He looked down to find a dry tree branch beneath his boot. Scowling, he slowly stepped to the side.
Wei Wuxian held in his laugh but failed to conceal his smirk. Jiang Cheng looked like he may forego breaking his legs and instead go straight for Wei Wuxian's neck.
"Besides," Wei Wuxian went on as they continued to pick their way along the narrowing deer trail they were following, "I'd like to know what I'm up against before I get there. So…?"
Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've seen it take different forms," he said gruffly. "I don't know how strong it is. It didn't seem to care about my sword, but Zidian posed a threat to it. And I'm not sure of its true form, but I suspect it's some kind of animal."
As each question was answered, a million more rose to fill their place.
Before Wei Wuxian could ask any of them, however, they heard something ahead that stopped them in their tracks.
"Wait, what is this? Who are you?"
Huaisang's frightened voice was close by, but Wei Wuxian still couldn't see him through the dense stand of trees in front of them.
"Stop playing the fool. Why would you have run after me like this? I wasn't even trying to lure you. What are you playing at?"
That was also Huaisang's voice and it came from roughly the same direction. Goosebumps rose on Wei Wuxian's arms.
Sure, Huaisang was known to mutter to himself behind his fan from time to time, but this wasn't that. Something else was speaking with his voice.
"I'm not playing anything," the first Huaisang said. "Please let me go back!"
"You followed me of your own volition," the second Huaisang retorted. "And I imagine that you somehow placed that wall, though I don't understand why or how. You aren't supposed to be a very good cultivator. And now you've cut yourself off from some of your strongest protectors. Do you have such faith that I won't kill any of you before you reach Qishan?"
As disorienting as it was for Wei Wuxian to listen to, he could only assume Huaisang felt even more disoriented. Wei Wuxian couldn't imagine arguing with something that looked and sounded like himself.
The two Huaisangs were moving. Wei Wuxian could hear them getting further away. Jiang Cheng's hand tightened on Sandu's hilt.
"Are you running away?" the second Huaisang asked tauntingly. "After you promised to stay with them?"
Wei Wuxian nudged Jiang Cheng's arm. He glared at him but Wei Wuxian paid him no mind.
"How does it know that?" Wei Wuxian asked in a whisper.
"Know what?" Jiang Cheng hissed back.
"That Huaisang promised to stay with us."
The crease of Jiang Cheng's brow deepened.
"I don't understand!" the first Huaisang cried desperately. "Please let me go! I thought you were someone else! Take whatever you want! Please just leave me alone!"
"It's been following us," Jiang Cheng said darkly.
Wei Wuxian nodded.
He started to wonder if the creature knew that they were there listening to it. If so, it was very clever to say the things that it had. It was trying to sow discord among them.
"Perhaps you've come out here hoping your friends would follow," the second Huaisang mused. "Perhaps you're trying to lead them to me. You think the two of them are strong enough to challenge me?"
Jiang Cheng's skin was practically glowing red with rage. Wei Wuxian felt it radiating from him.
The thing definitely knew they were listening.
"I'm done hiding," Jiang Cheng hissed. "I'm killing it."
"No, don't-!"
But, it was too late.
Jiang Cheng had sheathed Sandu and drawn Zidian instead, sending a shower of violet sparks into the air.
Naturally, this did not go without notice.
"Jiang Cheng!" the Huaisangs cried in unison, both sounding relieved.
Wei Wuxian paused in confusion, but Jiang Cheng wasn't deterred. He leapt out through the trees, running head first at an enemy he couldn't hope to differentiate from his ally.
"I'm sorry Jiang Cheng!" he heard one of the Huaisangs say.
"I thought I saw Da-ge," the other said. "I shouldn't have run off, but…"
"Damn it," came Jiang Cheng's voice then, sounding vexed.
"Stop that!" both Huaisangs yelled, presumably at one another.
Not able to stand it anymore, Wei Wuxian got up and walked out into the clearing where the three of them were gathered.
As expected, two Huaisangs faced him, both seeming very happy that he'd graced them with his presence.
Only one Jiang Cheng stood in the clearing. The look of bafflement on his face was almost funny enough to dissolve the frustration Wei Wuxian felt from his charging into battle. Had he really expected one of them to keep talking as an enemy?
"Wei Wuxian!" called the Huaisang on the right. "Please help me!"
"No! Help me!" demanded the Huaisang on the left. "That monster lured me out here by pretending to be Da-ge! Please help me!"
Wei Wuxian regarded the scene before him with a smirk.
It was certainly an annoying situation. Both Huaisangs were identical – same fine robes, same fancy jewelry, same pretty fan. Both looked at him with the same amount of despair. It was impossible to tell them apart, especially since they had been moving around while they were talking before so he had no way of even guessing which was which.
Despite this, he smiled. It was annoying, but he'd never seen anything like it before.
It was exciting.
"What a tired riddle," Wei Wuxian remarked casually, leaning against a nearby tree. "How many times have we needed to solve puzzles like this in school, Jiang Cheng? I can recall at least five similar scenarios that the old man had us work through."
"Now is not the time," Jiang Cheng stated through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill that thing."
The violet light from his whip threatened to outshine the sun. Zidian was glowing as brightly as it did when its user was in mortal peril.
But Jiang Cheng wasn't necessarily in much danger. Of course, this was probably a demon, the likes of which none of them had much experience with. But, they outnumbered it threefold (or maybe two and a half fold, and that was if he was being generous). And Wei Wuxian was learned in the demonic arts. Why was Zidian responding to its master so enthusiastically?
Then, he noticed the tiniest tremor in his hands.
There was a pallor to Jiang Cheng's face, which was still twisted into a hateful snarl. His breathing, though expected to be faster when he was angry, was also shallower than it should have been. And his stance was just a little too rigid.
For some reason, Jiang Cheng was terrified.
He'd seen him like this before. It had happened on a few occasions around the time of the Sunshot Campaign and even afterward. Sometimes there was an obvious cause for it and sometimes there wasn't.
Wei Wuxian never would have imagined that Jiang Cheng still suffered from this condition.
Though, if he thought about it, Wei Wuxian himself would still often wake in the middle of the night, ready to fight only to realize that there were no enemies coming for him. He supposed it wasn't so strange after all.
Wei Wuxian propped himself up from the tree he'd been leaning on, considering moving to Jiang Cheng's side. But he stopped himself.
That wasn't going to help anything. Not anymore.
Wei Wuxian disguised his movement as a simple readjustment and leaned back against the tree once more. It would be better if he pretended not to have noticed anything.
"It's not a riddle!" the Huaisang on the right shouted tearfully. "This isn't some classroom assignment! This isn't a game!"
"Please just help me," the Huaisang on the left begged.
"Don't worry, Huaisang," Wei Wuxian said with a chuckle. "We can figure this out, can't we, Jiang Che-? Jiang Cheng?!"
With a growl like that of a tiger and a flick of his whip, Jiang Cheng had bolted forward.
The Huaisang on the left reflexively raised his hands in a futile attempt to shield himself from Zidian. The other Huaisang… smiled?
Wei Wuxian raised his own hands, ready to use a modified binding incantation on the demon. But, before he'd even gotten into position, the demon Huaisang had darted away.
Zidian passed cleanly through the air where it had been and wrapped itself around the real Huaisang, who shrieked in terror. But it was only terror. He didn't drop to his knees or go stiff like Zidian had released its power on him.
Of course! Zidian could differentiate between a human and a demon. No guesswork needed. All they had to do was hit both of them.
Jiang Cheng pulled Huaisang toward himself.
At that moment, Wei Wuxian heard an odd buzzing in his ears and felt a strange power wash over him. He'd barely taken a step back before something solid hit him squarely on his temple.
He saw the demon flash by him as Wei Wuxian's knees buckled. His head felt as if it had been split open.
Who was screaming? Was he screaming like that?
"Get down, Wei Wuxian!"
Dazed as he was, it was a wonder that he'd heard Jiang Cheng's warning.
He dropped to the ground. Something whistled over him, dragging enough air behind it to ruffle Wei Wuxian's hair.
Before he could even think of sitting up, another something passed over him. The soft crackle in his ear was one he knew well from the lashings that Madam Yu had directed at him.
There was a yelp and a thud from somewhere to his left.
Wei Wuxian raised his head to see a silver fox with too many tails pick itself up from the forest floor, shaking leaves out of its fur. It seemed that Zidian had found its mark. And that mark had been a… huli jing?
Jiang Cheng drew back his whip to strike again, but the fox was much quicker.
In the blink of an eye, it had vanished, leaving behind a scent that smelled faintly of candy.
"Come back and fight me!" Jiang Cheng screamed.
Wei Wuxian pressed his palm against his temple, head reeling from Jiang Cheng's sheer volume.
"Like we fought before?" a disembodied voice asked.
Did Wei Wuxian recognize this one as well?
"I'll kill you!" Jiang Cheng yelled.
Laughter echoed around them. Wei Wuxian instantly knew why the new voice had sounded familiar; Wen Chao's sadistic cackling from atop that cliff in the burial mounds was something that he couldn't easily forget.
"Remember, I can revisit you at any time," the huli jing taunted in Wen Chao's voice. "However, as much as I continue to enjoy our little meetings, Sect Leader Jiang, now is neither the time nor the place. Sleep well tonight."
As quickly as everything had happened, it was over.
No further commentary drifted toward them from the huli jing. Jiang Cheng's and Wei Wuxian's panting and the rustle of wind in the canopy were the only things to be heard.
Huaisang shakily wandered over toward Wei Wuxian. It was hard to focus his eyes on Huaisang's movement. The place where the huli jing had struck him throbbed terribly.
"I can't see the wall over the trees anymore," Huaisang said in a small voice, pointing at the sky behind him. "I think Jiang Cheng distracted it long enough for Er-ge and Hanguang-jun to break the barrier."
Wei Wuxian expected Jiang Cheng to utter some sort of self-congratulating statement, but he didn't.
He looked over at him to find Jiang Cheng staring at where the fox had last been, Zidian hanging limply from his hand.
When he finally made eye contact with him, there wasn't an ounce of his usual fury. Jiang Cheng looked anxious and tired and honestly still quite pale.
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng stared at one another blankly for another moment before Wei Wuxian was forced to look away.
"Are you all right?" Huaisang asked, holding out his hand to Wei Wuxian.
He took it, recoiling inwardly at how sweaty it was as Huaisang helped pull him to his feet. His temple pulsed and he swayed in place briefly before steadying himself.
"I'm fine," Wei Wuxian said. Huaisang didn't look convinced.
Just then, Jiang Cheng started off across the clearing, heading in the direction they'd last heard Wen Chao's voice.
"What are you doing?" Wei Wuxian asked. He grabbed Huaisang's arm and redirected his gaze to the ground when he realized it made him dizzy to watch Jiang Cheng.
"He's not going to disguise himself again," Jiang Cheng growled, seemingly speaking more to himself than to them. "We'll see who's laughing when I feed him to the dog."
He coiled Zidian into his hands but didn't replace it on his finger.
"You can't be serious!" Wei Wuxian yelled, making his own ears ring.
Jiang Cheng paid him no attention. "I'll rip him limb from limb," he snarled. "He'll rue the day…"
Wei Wuxian pushed away from Huaisang to stumble drunkenly after Jiang Cheng. How could one hit have injured him like this?
"Stop," he implored, reaching out to grab Jiang Cheng's shoulder.
"Don't try to stop me! I'll-!"
The moment Wei Wuxian's hand made contact with him, Jiang Cheng whirled around. His fist connected squarely with the side of Wei Wuxian's head, very near to where the huli jing had hit him before.
His vision lost focus and he collapsed to the ground. A purple light rushed toward him but retreated just as quickly, never making contact.
"What's wrong with you?!" Wei Wuxian screamed, clutching his head as if this alone could keep his skull in one piece. "Why would you do that?!"
"Why would you try to stop me?!" Jiang Cheng screamed back at him.
Wei Wuxian groaned, still not daring to let go of his pounding head. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.
"Now he's gotten away!" Jiang Cheng continued. "What's to stop him from coming back?! You should have let me kill him! You shouldn't have-!"
He cut off abruptly. Wei Wuxian heard a thud in front of him and opened his eyes again to find Jiang Cheng kneeling on the ground as well, his fist wound tightly into the front of his own robes.
"Jiang Cheng? Wei Wuxian?" Huaisang squeaked. "Are you both all right? Should I go get help?"
Jiang Cheng didn't answer him. His eyes were wide and his breaths came in short gasps. His skin was gradually turning a sickly shade of green.
"Are you choking?" Huaisang asked him.
Jiang Cheng vigorously shook his head and waved him away when he tried to move closer.
"Should I go for help?" he asked again.
The pain in Wei Wuxian's head was increasing to an unbearable level. His eyes stung.
"Lan Zhan," he panted. "Please get Lan Zhan."
"All right, I'll go," Huaisang said.
He awkwardly bent down to pat his arm a couple of times in what Wei Wuxian could only assume was meant to be a comforting manner. When he tried to do the same to Jiang Cheng, he narrowly escaped the fate that had befallen Wei Wuxian.
"Don't… touch me," Jiang Cheng said between wheezes.
"Of course," Huaisang replied, frightened by the punch he'd barely dodged. "I'll be back soon."
With that, he sprang up and headed off at a jog, calling the name of not just one but both jades of Gusu. Wei Wuxian supposed it didn't matter. He was confident that either one of them would have the ability to heal him.
He closed his eyes when he heard Jiang Cheng make a strange noise.
"It's going to be fine. It's fine," Wei Wuxian murmured. His head was killing him. He was sure he was going to lose consciousness soon. "We'll find the fox another day. It's fine."
"I swear," Jiang Cheng said hoarsely, "I'll hit you again if you don't stop talking."
"It's fine," he said, feeling dizzier by the second. "It's fine. It's fine. It's fine."
"I'm serious. Shut up."
Wei Wuxian heard him, but for some reason, he couldn't process what he'd said. He simply kept babbling the same thing that he'd said before. He didn't know why he was saying it, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that it was important.
"It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. It's…"
The last thing he heard was Jiang Cheng saying his name. Then, everything was gone.