It was a sunny day, the kind of sunny that always foretold trouble.
Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, along with their shidi and shimei, were hunting a yao that was kidnapping children and leaving their lungs on the parents' doorsteps.
Wei Wuxian had been sent to the market to investigate and acquire a few healing plants they had forgotten at Lotus Pier.
He was picking through a selection of sweet treats, trying to decide whether to grab a bag for the others, when he was approached by a young woman around his age in Wen robes.
"The yao lives in the forest," She told him calmly, as though discussing the weather. "It lives in a cave by the river, the one with moss-covered rocks."
"I'm sorry?" Wei Wuxian asked, thoroughly taken aback and confused.
"You are the cultivators the Jiang sent, right?" The young woman raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly.
"Yes, this one is Wei Wuxian, head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang. Who are you?" Wei Wuxian introduced himself, bowing in greeting as he puzzled over the young woman.
"I am Wen Qing," The young woman said. "I have information that could help you on this night hunt, and many others."
Wei Wuxian nodded, scooping up a bag of candy and paying the merchant before waving Wen Qing over to an alleyway to avoid being overheard.
"How did you know where the yao lives?" Wei Wuxian demanded when they were alone.
"I was part of the party that drove it there," Wen Qing answered matter-of-factly. "I am Wen Rouhan's niece, and he often brings me along on night hunts for my medical expertise."
"Why were Wens driving a yao into this village?" Wei Wuxian asked suspiciously, subtly drifting a hand towards his sword.
Wen Qing sighed, dragging a hand over her face. "Okay, look, I'm going to be completely honest with you, I did not want to do this. What Wen Rouhan is doing is wrong, and he needs to be stopped, but if I get involved, he could hurt my family. The only reason I'm here is because A-Ning begged me to."
Wei Wuxian nodded, patiently waiting for her to continue.
"Wen Rouhan has been slowly accumulating power for years. Recently, his tactic has been to drive yao, ghosts, corpses, and the like towards smaller sects so that he can then swoop in and play the hero, which makes them easier to subjugate," Wen Qing explained. "I would like to enlist your help to foil this and stall his growth in power."
"Why are you telling me this?" Wei Wuxian was wary now. That was way too much information to share with a complete stranger. "Why me?"
"I suppose you're aware that you've become fairly well known for your heroic deeds and acts of generosity." Wen Qing stated. "My younger brother, Wen Qionglin, decided that you would be the best person to reach out to, due to your apparent genuine care for the well-being of people who are in danger, rather than the money they would provide."
Wei Wuxian shrugged. "I do what I can. I don't think it's a big deal, but I will accept your offer. If Wen Rouhan is really doing what you say, he needs to be stopped. I will help in whatever way I can." He promised.
Wen Qing nodded. "Good. Go take care of that yao before Wen Xu gets here; he'll have been ordered to come and "help" the townspeople by now."
Wei Wuxian nodded, promising to exchange letters with her so they could keep in touch and track Wen Rouhan's progress.
"What took you so long?" Jiang Cheng demanded when Wei Wuxian returned, though he could see the slight worry in his brother's eyes.
"Just decided to get some candy for everyone," Wei Wuxian explained, grinning as he held up a bag of sweets. His shidi and shimei swarmed him immediately, clamoring for some of the treats.
"Oh, I found out where the yao has been hiding out," Wei Wuxian told a scowling Jiang Cheng as he handed out the candy. "One of the locals told me they'd heard it coming from the southern end of the river, by moss-covered rocks."
"How did they know that?" Jiang Cheng asked, popping one of the candies into his mouth and wrinkling his nose, probably at the sugary taste; neither of them had very much of a sweet tooth.
"They said they had accompanied one of the victims partially into the woods before they went missing and heard the noises coming from a cave." Wei Wuxian explained smoothly.
He felt bad for keeping Jiang Cheng in the dark, but Wen Qing had trusted him and him alone, and though he was sure Jiang Cheng would gladly help, he wasn't about to betray Wen Qing's confidence for such a serious matter.
Jiang Cheng still seemed unsure, but nodded in acceptance of his explanation. They set out to kill the beast, successfully invading its lair and freeing the remaining victims it had captured, presumably to eat later.
Five months passed like that, with Wen Qing and Wei Wuxian exchanging letters and confirming times and dates when the Wens would let corpses, yao, and ghosts into smaller sects, so Wei Wuxian could get there beforehand and actually save them.
Then, Wei Wuxian got a different kind of letter from Wen Qing.
Wei Wuxian, it read. I have heard concerning news about your involvement in helping the smaller sects from getting usurped by Wen Rouhan.
This was all in code, of course. Wei Wuxian frowned and kept reading.
My uncle and the Wen Elders are getting annoyed by your constant interference. I've overheard them discussing "solutions" to the problems you create for their plan. They plan to kill you, though I don't know when. Watch your back, they could strike at any time. I would recommend keeping Jiang Wanyin with you more often; they wouldn't dare hurt a sect heir yet.
Wei Wuxian's frown deepened. That wasn't good, though he had suspected it might happen at some point. The Wens were bound to notice how he kept foiling their plans—not all of them were as stupid as Wen Chao—and attempt to do something about it.
As for the idea of taking Jiang Cheng around with him wherever he went, Wei Wuxian blatantly disregarded it. There was no way he was putting Jiang Cheng in any sort of danger, especially when he didn't even know there was danger.
While he also thought that there would be a lesser risk for him if he had Jiang Cheng with him, there wasn't no risk, and he wasn't willing to do that to save his own skin.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter for their next night hunt to help out a sect the Wens were targeting, as Jiang Cheng had already agreed to go with him, and he didn't want him to get mad and think he was trying to steal the spotlight, as Madam Yu so often accused him of doing.
Even worse was the fact that they were bringing a group of their shidi and shimei as well, as the situation was a little higher-level than most night-hunts Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng went on alone, requiring support from their sect-siblings.
Thoughts of the Wens quickly evaporated when they finally got face-to-face with the monster they were hunting.
It was a huge spider demon, about ten times the size of any other arachnid monster they'd faced before.
Caught off guard and underprepared, everyone scattered, and their plan to lure the monster to where they could trap it fell into chaos as the shidi and shimei were attacked by the spider.
Wei Wuxian shoved the panic that was rising inside him down focused on the task at hand; Jiang Cheng was collecting their sect siblings and taking them back while he distracted the monster.
He shrieked and ran in circles around the demon, waving his hands and using the sunlight to reflect light into its eyes, successfully diverting its attention away from Jiang Cheng and his shidis and shimeis.
He kept himself out of its reach for another hour, making sure to keep a careful distance so that it wouldn't actually get him. Jiang Cheng came back just as he managed to slice off a part of its front leg.
Wei Wuxian looked up as Jiang Cheng arrived, relief coursing through his veins, so much so that he didn't see the spider's remaining leg reach for him until it was too late.
He let out a surprised yelp as Suibian flew from his grasp, and he was yanked into the air by the spider. Jiang Cheng shouted in horror, looking up at them, terrified.
Thankfully for both of them, Jiang Cheng kept his head and valiantly battled the monster, careful only to free Wei Wuxian once he was nearer to the ground so he wouldn't get injured by the drop.
Wei Wuxian felt a swell of pride fill him as he retrieved his sword from beside the dying spider demon, initiating the hug he knew Jiang Cheng wanted, but wouldn't ask for.
"Pay more attention to your surroundings," He scolded Wei Wuxian, scowling.
Wei Wuxian laughed, knowing he had been very worried and slung an arm around his shoulder, a silent apology for causing him fear.
Suddenly, he felt something pierce his now-exposed arm and looked down to see a needle embedded in his skin right below where the sleeve had torn.
Huh, that was strange.
"Hey, Chengcheng, do you see..." His words were slurred and slow, like he was talking through mud.
Ah, was this a sedative?
The world went dark before he could figure it out.
Wei Wuxian awoke in a dark room, the only light coming from a torch that seemed to be almost burned out.
At first, he was only confused and disoriented. Then the panic set in.
"Jiang Cheng?" Where are you?" He whisper-shouted, squirming in the ropes that held him to a post, trying to see if Jiang Cheng was there.
A soft groan, followed by several muttered curses, from what had to be the back of the room told Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng was alive and mostly unharmed.
"Did you see anything before we got knocked out? A robe color, a motif, a blur of a person, or multiple people, maybe?" He asked urgently, straining at the ropes to get a look at Jiang Cheng.
"Not really, I just saw you start to sway and collapse. Thought the spider demon'd somehow poisoned you." Jiang Cheng told him groggily, yawning.
"Damn it," Wei Wuxian frowned, examining the ropes binding him as well as he could in the darkness. They seemed to be cultivator-grade and didn't look like they'd be budging anytime soon without a specific spiritual sword or access to the knot at the back of the pole he was tied to.
As his hands were firmly strapped to his sides by the rope, he couldn't reach it himself.
"Jiang Cheng," He called quietly again. "Do you think you can reach the knot at the back of the pole I'm tied to?"
Wei Wuxian heard him grunt in response, followed by scuffling that told him Jiang Cheng was getting to his feet.
"I think so," Jiang Cheng replied, probably inspecting the rope. "They apparently thought you were a bigger threat and I'm stupid, cause my rope barely holds me as it is, and it's so long I could probably run laps around the room without it bothering me."
Still scoffing, he moved to untie Wei Wuxian's bindings, which turned out to be held by a simple knot that easily unraveled.
"I don't know who these people thought they were kidnapping, but I'm honestly a little offended that it was so easy." Wei Wuxian remarked as they quietly snuck out of the unlocked, unguarded door. Jiang Cheng nodded in agreement, but silently reminded him to be quiet.
Well, that had been more adventure than he'd wanted for the day, but now all they had to do was find their swords and—
Wei Wuxian froze, his hand shooting out to shield Jiang Cheng as they turned the corner and came face to face with Wen guards.
The largest one turned to them and sneered. "Thought you could get away, huh?"
Thinking quickly, Wei Wuxian kicked up dirt from the floor and temporarily blinded the guards, who shouted and pulled out weapons.
"Run!" He called to Jiang Cheng, who was stumbling behind him. They managed to make it down several more corridors before Wei Wuxian heard a thunk from behind him.
He stopped, twisting around only to find Jiang Cheng passed out on the floor.
"Jiang Cheng!" He cried out, rushing to help his brother. Panic flooded him, and he struggled to keep his hands steady as he helped an unconscious Jiang Cheng up, slinging an arm around his shoulder so he could stand.
A shadow fell over them as Wei Wuxian struggled to stand up with Jiang Cheng.
Wen Chao smirked as he looked down on them, guards fanning out to surround them.
"Looks like someone didn't plan very well, eh? Maybe next time you'll think twice before interfering in Wen business, except, oh wait, there won't be a next time," He mocked them, motioning for the guards to take them.
"What did you do to Jiang Cheng!?" Wei Wuxian demanded, struggling against the guard he'd been grabbed by.
"He was in the way," Wen Chao said simply. "My brother and I simply made sure he wouldn't be anymore."
Wei Wuxian bit back a curse. It was well known that Wen Xu and Wen Chao were constantly vying for their father's attention and never got along. If they were working together on this, it was bad news.
Desperate, he grabbed for his brother's wrist, hoping the transfer of Qi would wake him up.
The cold, icy shock that doused him when he made contact with Jiang Cheng's meridians was terrifying.
He strained, trying to sense any glimpse of qi flow that was the mark of a cultivator.
Nothing.
Jiang Cheng was without a golden core.
The days passed in a numb horror. Wei Wuxian did everything he could, but Jiang Cheng was never awake longer than an hour at most, likely a sign of having his golden core so forcefully removed.
Wei Wuxian didn't even know how long it had been when another chance at escape presented itself.
Wen Xu himself had personally interrogated him the day before, asking him thoughtful and leading questions that terrified Wei Wuxian with their potential for success.
After he refused to tell them anything about who he was working with, he was told that both he and Jiang Cheng were going to be executed the next day, their deaths most likely staged as casualties from the spider demon they'd fought.
The guard who brought them food wasn't very smart, Wei Wuxian had discovered. After their previous breakout, they'd been moved to a room where they were both tied to poles, this time suspended in midair. The only way they'd be able to get out would be to slice the rope with something sharp.
The opportunity appeared when they were given soup in ceramic bowls; easy to shatter with sharp shards.
He waited until the guard had left to switch with another one and attempted to quietly break the bowl. They were allowed one arm free from the elbow down in order to eat, and then would be bound again after twenty minutes.
Finally, after hitting it against the pole for the third time, the bowl shattered, creating a large enough shard that he could saw through the rope.
"Jiang Cheng," He grunted as he worked on the bindings. "Wake up, please, we need to go."
Jiang Cheng opened his eyes blearily. Though Wei Wuxian couldn't feel his forehead to check, it was fairly obvious that Jiang Cheng was suffering from a fever, probably due to his untreated wounds from the spider demon.
"Just hold on," He murmured, finally freeing himself and landing on the floor with a soft thud.
Jiang Cheng nodded, his head lolling as he went limp again.
"No," Wei Wuxian groaned, gently shaking his brother to wake him up once more as he started sawing through his ropes.
"C'mon," He whispered, helping Jiang Cheng stand upright as the ropes fell away.
They crept through the building, hiding at any movement. Now that Wei Wuxian could see and feel Jiang Cheng more clearly, he was sure that he had a raging fever, and panic started to set in.
Wei Wuxian took deep breaths, reminding himself that he could worry once they were safely out of the building. If they were near Qishan, he could take Jiang Cheng to Wen Qing's house; she would help them.
"Hey!" A guard shouted, rounding a corner from behind them. Wei Wuxian didn't wait to hear him call for the others, pulling Jiang Cheng along as they started running towards what was hopefully the exit.
Suddenly, he remembered they still needed their swords.
"Jiang Cheng," He started frantically. "Can you feel your sword's spirit?"
Jiang Cheng shook his head limply. Wei Wuxian cursed again and reached out to feel for Suibian, straining to get even a whisper of her whereabouts.
Finally, as they neared the door he assumed led outside, he felt her, a tugging sensation on his golden core, leading him down an abrupt corridor and into a large room filled with weapons.
Wei Wuxian hastily set Jiang Cheng down on the floor and locked the doors, barricading them with heavy-looking swords.
After searching for a moment, he found them: Suibian and Sandu, vibrating discontentedly in a dusty corner.
"Hey," He whispered, running his hand along Suibian's blade. "Sorry."
Seeing that Jiang Cheng was incapacitated once more, he strapped Sandu to his back with a large swath of leather that appeared to be simply lying about, and searched for a window or ventilation shaft.
For a few minutes, Wei Wuxian thought they might be stuck, but then he noticed small amounts of sunlight streaming through a weapons rack.
He pushed it aside, his muscles screaming as they strained to move the heavy metal rack. At last, there was enough room for both he and Jiang Cheng to make it through the window.
Wei Wuxian grimaced at the thought of waking Jiang Cheng up again after seeing that he'd passed out again. His brother was slumped against the wall Wei Wuxian had set him against, completely unconscious.
He sighed, pulling Jiang Cheng onto his back so he could carry him. Mounting Suibian, he crashed out of the window, doing his best to protect Jiang Cheng from the shattered glass.
Oh, sunlight. It was as though he hadn't seen it or felt it in years. Wei Wuxian closed his eyes briefly, soaking in the warmth of the sun on his skin.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again and surveyed his surroundings.
They seemed to be on the outskirts of Qishan, Wei Wuxian realized with a surge of relief. If he was correct, Wen Qing's house shouldn't be far.
To be safe, he urged Suibian to go higher, above the low cloud cover, so no one would be able to see them.
They flew like that for several hours, dipping below the clouds for a few seconds to ensure they were headed the right way, then flying right back up, creating a disorienting dance that would hopefully be impossible to follow.
Finally, finally, Wei Wuxian spotted Wen Qing's house. He'd never been there before, for obvious secrecy reasons, but Wen Qing had described it in such great detail in case of emergency, that he felt as though he'd been the one living in it.
Still cautious, he descended into a forest nearby, praying that it would mask their approach well enough.
Wei Wuxian stumbled onto the ground, sheathing Suibian once he had dismounted. He adjusted Jiang Cheng's position, making sure he was as comfortable as possible before starting the rest of way to Wen Qing's house.
What was merely minutes felt like hours, months, years, each step shaving off decades of his life until he was nothing but bones by the time he reached her doorstep.
With barely enough strength to knock, he rapped on the door, feeling a rush of relief as footsteps hurried to answer.
The last thing he remembered was a horrified gasp and a shout for Wen Qing.
Wei Wuxian awoke in a soft white cot, a far cry from the pole he'd been bound to only hours earlier.
Wait. Where was he? This didn't look like home or the prison. What had happened?
Wei Wuxian gasped, a mingrane splitting his skull as the events of their escape all came rushing back to him.
Jiang Cheng. Where was Jiang Cheng? And Wen Qing? Was this her house?
A boy around his age in Wen robes came into the room carrying a tray of food and promptly dropped it, gawking at Wei Wuxian.
"Jiejie!" He called, darting away to fetch his sister.
Ah, so this was Wen Qionglin, Wen Qing's beloved younger brother.
Wen Qing came rushing in, holding a bag of medical supplies.
"Where does it hurt." She demanded, pulling out multiple tools and examining him.
"Nice to see you too," Wei Wuxian grumbled, gesturing to his head and torso.
"Don't pull that," She warned, giving him herbs to chew on as she inspected the bandages around his ribcage. "You were out for an entire day."
Wei Wuxian winced, both from the amount of time he'd been out and from her prodding at his chest.
"How'm I lookin', doc?" He tried, grinning cheerfully as Wen Qing glared at him. "Will I live?"
"Well, you're in better shape than your brother. You have a concussion, three broken ribs, and mild malnutrition, as well as severe bruising and exhaustion." She listed off, counting each of his injuries on her fingers.
"And Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian asked worriedly, "Is he okay?"
Wen Qing sighed. "He'll live, but he'll never cultivate again. Though his physical injuries aren't as extensive as yours, his meridians are completely fried, along with any chance of forming a golden core ever again. I'm guessing Wen Zhuliu had a go at him?"
Wei Wuxian nodded numbly, processing what she had just told him.
Jiang Cheng would be crushed. This would destroy him. This would destroy their entire family.
"Is there anything, and I mean anything, I could do? Some kind of cultivation technique, a procedure—could I give him mine?" Wei Wuxian asked desperately, though he knew it was hopeless.
But even as Wen Qing shook her head grimly, Wei Wuxian saw something pass across her eyes when he'd mentioned giving Jiang Cheng his golden core.
"Wait, can I do that? Give him my golden core?" He asked, clinging to the fragile strings of hope she'd given him.
"No." Wen Qing said firmly, though her eyes looked nervous.
"There is a way, isn't there!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed.
"No, there isn't!" Wen Qing snapped back, scowling at him. "And even if there were, I'm not giving him your golden core!"
"Wen Qing, please," Wei Wuxian pleaded, letting his desperation leak into his voice. "He's practically my brother, I couldn't live with knowing I could have given him the chance to cultivate again and didn't."
"Well, good, because you won't have to. There is no way to give someone else your golden core." Wen Qing insisted, growing agitated.
"Please," Wei Wuxian begged. "Wouldn't you do the same for Wen Qionglin?"
Wen Qing crumbled at that, her face sagging in defeat. She left the room, and Wei Wuxian thought that would be it, that she wasn't going to help, but then she returned with stacks of notes and diagrams.
"This is all of my research on golden core removal and transfer surgeries." She told him, setting the pile of a table near his cot. "Before I do anything, if I even do anything, you need to read through all of these."
Wei Wuxian beamed at her, taking a handful of the papers. "Thank you."
Wen Qing just scowled at him and left, reminding him to spit out the herbs after fifteen minutes.
Over the next day, Wei Wuxian stayed up day and night, reading through Wen Qing's research, highlighting important information and separating the notes into piles based on content and relevance.
By the time he was able to sit up and walk around a bit, he was thoroughly educated on the procedure—or at least, the theoreticals of it; it hadn't been performed before.
"You don't have to do this," Wen Qing argued when he brought her the finished and organized papers. "You might lose your mind—you might die!"
"I am aware of the risks and I accept them," Wei Wuxian told her firmly. "I cannot let this chance slip away. Jiang Cheng will not remain coreless if I can do anything about it. If you won't do it, I'll find someone who will."
Wen Qing looked at him helplessly before sighing and leaving, coming back with all of her surgery prep supplies.
Wei Wuxian knew better than to comment that they were doing it now and not later, instead stripping to his pants and lying on the cot starfish-style.
"You need to be awake for all of this," Wen Qing reminded him.
"I know," Wei Wuxian said.
"It's going to hurt a lot."
"I know."
"You really want to do this? Nothing I can say will dissuade you?"
"No. I'm sorry."
Wen Qing sighed as she finished prepping him.
"No, I'm sorry."
And she began the surgery.
Wei Wuxian awoke, alert and disoriented. Wen Qing had finished the procedure the night before and put him under before he had time to process that it was finished.
A wave of deja vu washed over him as Wen Qionglin brought a food tray into the room and promptly dropped it as he noticed Wei Wuxian was awake.
This time, he didn't even have to call for his sister before she was in the room, fussing over Wei Wuxian.
"How do you feel? Is it hurting anywhere? Are you experiencing any unusual qi flows? How are your energy levels? Can you understand me? Can you hear me? Can you see me? Can you speak?" She asked rapid-fire questions as she checked his meridians and adjusted his blankets.
"I'm fine. Just my ribcage. I don't think so. Low. Yes, yes, yes, and yes." Wei Wuxian answered, ticking off the questions on his fingers.
Both Wen siblings let out a sigh of relief.
"You are incredibly lucky that went well," Wen Qing scolded him. "I don't know how the fuck you managed to convince me to do that."
"How's Jiang Cheng?" Wei Wuxian asked, praying that his shidi's body had accepted the golden core.
"He's doing well, meridians are stable, as are qi flows." Wen Qionglin answered softly when Wen Qing stayed quiet.
"I burned all the research," Wen Qing admitted to him quietly. "Doing that surgery... it was horrible. In a different time, it could be used for good, but I can't imagine the horrors it would unleash if my uncle found it, or any other power-hungry sect leader."
Wei Wuxian nodded in sympathy. "That's understandable. I'm sorry I asked you to do it."
"It's okay. Just promise me you'll be extra careful from now on. You don't have a golden core anymore, so now you're extra delicate. I've come to consider you a friend, Wei Wuxian, don't make me lose you." Wen Qing warned, going about the rest of her medical exam.
Wei Wuxian smiled. "I promise. I will try not to take any unnecessary risks."
For the next two days, Wei Wuxian worked on the memory talisman he would use on Jiang Cheng. He didn't know if he would remember anything about being coreless, but he wasn't about to take that chance.
He created two, just in case. Both of them involved them getting captured by the spider demon, and one of them had him get killed by it, in case he was captured again.
If Jiang Cheng got distracted looking for him and was killed by the Wens, he would never forgive himself.
No, if he were captured again, he would probably die. Better to give them closure than have them waste their time and become vulnerable to an attack from the Wens.
Wei Wuxian gave both of them to Wen Qing before going to get herbs. It was the fourth day of his stay there, and Wen Qionglin had been called to Nightless City for family reasons, leaving Wen Qing alone with two patients.
Wei Wuxian volunteered to get the medicinal plants she needed, as she didn't want to leave them, and Jiang Cheng was being kept comatose until they could administer the memory talismans.
"You cannot let anyone see you," She instructed him, tying a hat under his chin. "If you see Wen guards, run."
Wei Wuxian nodded, handing her the just-in-case talisman.
"If I'm not back in two hours, assume I've been captured and apply this to him. You can leave him near the spider den I told you about. There will surely be Jiang patrols nearby, looking for him."
Wen Qing nodded solemnly, though she warned him that she had better not have to use it as he left.
The journey to the market and the purchasing of the herbs went surprisingly well, and Wei Wuxian was beginning to think he could relax a little when a hand fell on his shoulder.
"Hey, kid, turn around." A Wen guard stood behind him, his menacing voice sending chills down Wei Wuxian's spine.
Fuck. He bolted.
Only to be stopped by two more large guards. Wei Wuxian started to panic as he realized he was surrounded. Suibian was at Wen Qing's house, and even if he'd had her, he wouldn't be able to use her to fly anymore.
Another guard grabbed his wrists and chained them together, leading him out of the market.
Wei Wuxian followed silently, wincing at every tug on his wrists from the chains. His body wasn't fully healed from the surgery, and every slight pressure hurt more than it should.
Soon, Wei Wuxian realized they were near the Yilling Burial Mounds. Wen Chao was waiting with Wen Zhuliu, a smug sneer on his face.
"Why did you take me here?" Wei Wuxian demanded, struggling against the chains.
Wen Chao scowled at him. "It seems we made an error in judgment when we chose to take the Jiang heir's core. It was you who caused us all the trouble after all. You made me look bad. So I decided that death was too good for you. Zhuliu?"
Wen Zhuliu slammed his hand into Wei Wuxian's chest, causing him to cough up something that tasted metallic.
Wen Chao laughed as the guards began beating him. He felt his newly-healed ribs snap again as they swung their fists.
Wei Wuxian doubled over in pain, choking on his own blood while trying to take a breath.
"I think he's had enough," Wen Chao decided, flicking his hand.
"What, not gonna finish me off?" Wei Wuxian laughed, his voice sounding like a battlefield as he spat blood at Wen Chao's feet.
"No," Wen Chao sneered, motioning for the guards to pick Wei Wuxian off his feet. "I think we'll let the Burial Mounds do that."
Suddenly, Wei Wuxian was in the air, falling. He flailed his arms and screamed himself hoarse as he plummeted into the Burial Mounds.
The fall felt like it took days, weeks, months. He didn't even remember hitting the ground, only the sharp, undeniable pain that came with it.
So much pain. It hurts, it hurts, everything hurt, there was so much blood, so much pain, was he dying? So much pain, it hurts, it hurts so much Mama, was he dead now? Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain—
Wei Wuxian awoke with a quiet start, quickly realizing his surroundings as he remembered everything that happened.
They had gone to meet the assassins, and he'd been knocked out. Lan Zhan—where was Lan Zhan?
He spotted him, careful not to alert them that he was conscious, as everyone seemed to have forgotten about him, except for Lan Zhan, whose outer robe was apparently being used as a pillow for him.
Lan Zhan was standing at the front of the room, clearly distressed. He was clutching his robes with twitching fingers, and soon Wei Wuxian saw why.
Lan-Zhongzhu was tied to a chair in the back corner of the room. Wei Wuxian felt his blood run cold.
Well. This had not been very thought out, had it?
The assassin leader sat at the center of the room, in a chair reminiscent of a throne.
"I am tired of waiting for you to decide, Lan Wangji," The assassin leader drawled. "Either all of you die, or just Wei Wuxian, it's a simple choice, really. I don't want to kill you if I don't have to."
If he timed it right, he could—yes. That would work. Wei Wuxian slightly adjusted himself, making sure no one was paying attention. He still had a knife tucked into his robes for emergencies. He supposed this qualified.
Lan Zhan tried reasoning with the assassin leader, making more time for Wei Wuxian, who readied himself.
Three.
Two.
One.
Wei Wuxian leaped up, launching himself at the assassin leader and brought the knife to their neck, pulling off their hood to reveal—
Oh.
Oh.
Wei Wuxian stared.
Shu Junlai stared back at him.
...
So anyways—
First and foremost, I am SO SORRY this ended up taking so long, I swear it was almost done on Monday, but then I ended up going kayaking with my family (I saw a baby otter) and got super sunburned (it genuinly looks like I'm wearing salmon socks) and didn't wake up until 1:30 pm yesterday so it got waaay pushed back and I am so very sorry, but you get an extra long chapter as compensation!
Also, shoutout to the AO3 commenters who guessed both sjl's treachery and the golden core surgery!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. I'll try to post the next chapter within my usual range of 2-3 days, but I've realized that setting deadlines for myself is only going to end in disappointment and stress, so we'll see! Hope you're having a great day/night!
10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing
New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas
If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas:
1. Sprained Ankle
A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.
2. Rib Contusion
A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.
3. Concussions
This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.
I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.
4. Fractured Finger
A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.
5. Road Rash
Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.
6. Shoulder Dislocation
This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.
7. Deep Laceration
A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.
This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.
8. Burns
Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.
If you want to explore writing burns, read here.
9. Pulled Muscle
This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.
10. Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.
This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)
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