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Chapter Text

So, betrothal.

After a long careful consideration, it could solve a lot of problems, in Nie Mingjue’s opinion. Of course, he has no intention of following it through. It could open and close a lot of doors, however, both for him and his future betrothed. Now, the only person he needs to convince to agree with this is his younger brother.

“Dage, we shared porn books and he helped me cheat in exams. It would be weird if I’m not weirded out.”

Nie Mingjue takes a long deep breath and prays for patience. Focus. One thing at a time. “It is for the greater good. I am asking you this because he is closer to you than me. Your blessing would mean the world.” Also, he doesn’t want to find out what schemes his brother will cook up if he’s not on board with this. He still sees Jin Guangyao’s ugly face in his nightmares.

Nie Huaisang mimes throwing up. “Dage, tell me, do you even know Wei-xiong’s birth name?”

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue says confidently. Anyone who spent a shichen in the company of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian together would know that.

His brother slowly waves his fan and covers his mouth with it. His eyes are looking sharp at him. Nie Mingjue thinks he has never seen his brother this honest with himself in front of him. It bodes... well. For the future.

“Fine. Shall I accompany whoever it is you are sending to deliver the betrothal letter?”

“No need. I will go myself.”

Evidently, that is not what Huaisang expected, because his eyes are the widest he has ever seen. “Dage, I know you said this is for the greater good, but I think you hold Wei-xiong in a greater esteem than I thought.”

Nie Mingjue holds Wei Wuxian in the greatest esteem, but he can’t say it in front of Huaisang without giving some things away, the sharp boy. “I will be sending a letter in advance, of course. I will bring with me twenty disciples. Huaisang, you will be the master of the Unclean Realm while I am gone. Act like it.”

Huaisang looks mildly terrified. Nie Mingjue knows he can count on him, if the future holds true.

Nie Mingjue said he is bringing twenty disciples with him, but in truth, he’s had seventy more sent to the area near Yunmeng undercover. The minute he received the news that his brother has crossed gate of the Unclean Realm and that out of all the young masters and mistresses, only Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian did not escape, he laid the foundation for the defense of Lotus Pier.

He could have done the same for Cloud Recesses, but when he woke up, it was already too late.

The City of Yunmeng is bountiful and merry. Trades are made easy through the waterways and the open system that the local cultivation clan practices attracts many merchants. 

The arrival of Nie Mingjue and his retinue did not go unnoticed. The minute they walked through the gate of the town nearest to Lotus Pier, people were making ways and whispering. It is not every day for one of the Five Great Sects pays visit to another. Plus, even if you live in the most secluded mountain, you must know of Nie Mingjue and his famous saber, Baxia. Nobody could mistake him for an average man.

The gate of Lotus Pier is ahead and looming. Nie Mingjue sees Jiang Fengmian and his disciples. No Wei Wuxian in sight. If things go the way it should, Nie Mingjue will not see him this entire visit.

“Welcome, Sect Leader Nie, to Lotus Pier. We are pleased to have you. I trust your trip has been pleasant?”

“As pleasant as it could be with this heat. I almost turned back multiple times.”

Jiang Fengmian’s smile said he would have much preferred that, rather than having Nie Mingjue here in Lotus Pier to negotiate the betrothal of his head disciple to a man much older than him. Nie Mingjue almost snorts. An overprotective father is the least worrying thing in his future. 

Jiang Fengmian brings him to a room, where his Madam is already waiting with tea. Madam Yu stands up to greet him. “Welcome, Sect Leader Nie. Please have a seat.”

Once they are all settled, each with a cup of tea in hand, Nie Mingjue steels himself and says, “I have sent the letter, but I wish to say it in person. I wish to court Wei Wuxian, make him my betrothed and eventually my husband, and strengthen the tie between the Qinghe Nie sect and the Yunmeng Jiang sect.”

Jiang Fengmian slams his cup to the table. When Nie Mingjue looks at him, he still has a mild expression on his face, but there is no smile to be seen. “Sect Leader Nie,” he says, “we are humbled by your offer. However, allow me to say this as a father to my ward, my children are not political pawns and they never will be.”

Here comes the battle. “Sect Leader Jiang, I am sure you are aware of the unrest plaguing the people. Something is coming and we know who it is. I assure you I made this offer after much consideration. My Qinghe Nie Sect is already connected to the Lan Sect through my brotherhood with Lan Xichen. Your Yunmeng Jiang is connected through your daughter’s betrothal to the heir of Lanling Jin. When I am betrothed to Wei Wuxian, we will build a bridge that connects all the remaining four Great Sects.”

“My daughter is no longer betrothed to Jin Zixuan.”

Well, there goes one of his arguments.

This may be tougher than expected.

They reached no agreement well into the evening, so the husband and wife invited him to join them for dinner. Nie Mingjue graciously accepted, if only to see Wei Wuxian in person in this timeline. He does not remember seeing him after the Discussion Conference in the Nightless City. Not as himself, anyway. He had, like the rest of the world, been disillusioned by the picture of pure power Wei Wuxian represented after his three months disappearance that they did not think to ask where he had been and what happened. All they cared about was the boost to their offensive power against Wen Ruohan.

He does not see Wei Wuxian at dinner. He is still unconscious, having just returned from the cave where he was trapped with Lan Wangji. Nie Mingjue is not disappointed by this. The borderline insolent glare Jiang Wanyin gives him throughout dinner is enough entertainment. No doubt, he is disgusted by Nie Mingjue’s intention. Jiang Yanli is amiable, but her smile is less sincere than Jin Guangyao’s on a good day. It’s amusing to see which of the children favored their parents’ temper.

However, the mysterious one is Madam Yu, which is disconcerting because Nie Mingjue knows her to be a woman who speaks her mind clearly. She stayed quiet during the afternoon meeting, so unlike her. If rumors are to be believed, she would never miss the chance to throw Wei Wuxian to the wolves. What a complicated family. At least Jiang Fengmian has told Nie Mingjue where to stick his offer.

Wen Chao and his army are less than a month away. Nie Mingjue has to seal the betrothal before then. If Jiang Fengmian refuses to listen to reason, he has to convince Wei Wuxian himself. Which is easier said than done because he has no idea when the boy will wake up. He cannot remain long and leave his Sect and brother defenseless.

Luck favors him, because the very next morning, a servant knocks on his door to let him know that the Jiang family will not be joining him for breakfast. Wei Wuxian has woken up.

He spent the morning visiting the sect members he left at the local inn. Nie Zonghui is invaluable because aside from reports on the twenty disciples they brought with them, he also has with him the reports on the seventy undercover Qinghe Nie sect members stationed around Yunmeng.

“What words from the Jiang sect?”

Nie Mingjue knocks back his wine and sighs. “Jiang Fengmian will stick me with his sword if I dare to say Wei Wuxian’s name one more time. Madam Yu enjoys the tea more than either of our company. The children will follow their father’s footsteps if I ever go near their brother.”

Nie Zonghui feels astonished. “Forgive me, Sect Leader. I was under the impression that you have their tentative openness for discussion, at the very least. From what you are telling me, this seems to be a fruitless endeavor.”

He had been under the same impression until he saw Jiang Fengmian yesterday. He thought he would have Madam Yu on his side, at least. It appears that he had severely overestimated himself and now he has to win the boy over himself.  

“Wei Wuxian has woken up. I will ask permission to speak with him alone. So far, the reasons Jiang Fengmian has refused me have everything to do with his boy’s freedom. If Wei Wuxian himself comes to me, he will have no more excuses.”

Nie Mingjue wonders what people will think of him, to be so persistent on a betrothal to a man much younger than him. Jiang Yanli is now a free woman and she is a much more eligible candidate. Why Wei Wuxian, a man and a servant’s son?

For one, to break off an engagement when the time comes will harm Jiang Yanli more than it would Wei Wuxian. Being broken off with not once, but twice? No matter how virtuous she is, she will resent him. For people will talk and it will be her reputation on the line, not his. Plus, Jin Zixuan will come to his senses. Not soon, but he will. So he has no intention to come between them.

Another reason is that he has much to atone for towards Wei Wuxian.

“Come with me to Lotus Pier. I will need backup in case Jiang Fengmian decides he has had enough of me panting after his ward.”

Nie Zonghui looks long suffering. “I miss the days when you’re too self conscious to joke around after being made sect leader.”

The market is some of the liveliest Nie Mingjue has ever seen. Vendors, merchants, customers, and children alike are filling the streets. As a child, he had adored the streets of Yunmeng much like his brother. Unlike anywhere else, there is much to see in the ports of the city of Yunmeng. The harsh geography that makes up the majority of the Qinghe area makes it a difficult place for merchants to find their luck there. In comparison, the only reason the Yunmeng Jiang sect is not contesting the Lanling Jin sect is because of their fairly cheap tax system. 

Walking through the streets with Nie Zonghui by his side, he feels more anger towards Wen Chao than he ever did in previous life. To think this liveliness will be destroyed because of one man’s fancy. If Wei Wuxian and his siblings do not find it within themselves to hold murderous grudge towards the pest in this lifetime, Nie Mingjue himself will take the pleasure of ending his pitiful life. Perhaps an offering for Wei Wuxian.

He stops in his track.

“Sect Leader?”

“What do you think I should gift Wei Wuxian from this bountiful market? He has just woken up so I probably should not offer food, in case his delicate condition does not allow it.”

He turns around to see his cousin with the most complicated look on his face. 

Nie Zonghui finds his words not a few seconds later. “I do not know the young master himself enough to offer a helpful insight in this matter. However, may I suggest something that may pass as a courting gift?”

Nie Mingjue frowns as he contemplates this. “I came here to open a discussion for a betrothal. That is why I did not bring any courting gifts, yet. Will a ribbon be less presumptuous but clear in intent, indeed?”

They both find this agreeable, so they browse the stalls together. Outside of the Yunmeng Jiang disciple robe, Wei Wuxian favors a combination of the red, black, and gray colors. Nie Mingjue keeps his eyes open for any ribbons in any of these colors. He tells Nie Zonghui as much, and the surprise on his cousin’s face recedes as soon as it appears as he promises to keep it in mind. Nie Mingjue knows all this consideration makes it seem like he knows the Head Disciple of Yunmeng Jiang more than any of them think.

They won’t be wrong, but they are not entirely correct either.

They cannot find anything in the stalls so they enter a shop with a big sign that can be seen from the end of the street. The minute they cross the threshold, there is a young man of nervous but eager disposition greeting them.

“Honored cultivators, how may I help you?”

“I am looking for a ribbon in the shade of reds, blacks, or grays. Bring your best.”

The man is looking ecstatic. “Of course!”

They are presented with more ribbons than what Nie Mingjue knows to do with. In the middle of the shop, they are made into a center of attention. Other shoppers and workers alike are curious about this rich man who easily demanded for the best in the most expensive shop in Yunmeng. Not that Nie Mingjue has any knowledge of this, not yet as of this moment, anyway.

With critical eyes, Nie Mingjue inspects each ribbon. Wei Wuxian had favored simplicity like he was a vagabond instead of a ward of Jiang Fengmian, the leader of one of the Great Five Sects. He does not know where the humility came from, whether by his own choice or something that others forced upon him to remind him where he came from. 

To make something a declaration of intent, Nie Mingjue supposes he has to offer something that will show his regards. Therefore, the usual simple ribbons will not do. He has to pick something that people will know, from one glance, is a gift given with intentions. However, he has to take into account Wei Wuxian’s regards as well. He has a feeling that if he picks something grand in looks, it will do nothing more than collecting dust in a corner that Wei Wuxian will undoubtedly forget about soon. All his life, he has never seen that boy with something embroidered. No, he needs something that is subtle in look but great in value.

It occurs to him that he has someone eager to attend to him.

“Owner, if I were to give a ribbon to someone, not to court, but with the hope that they may be receptive to such intentions in the future, what would you suggest?”

More than one person leans forward. What an interesting question!

The young man is flustered. “I am not the owner, honorable cultivator. That would be my father. However, I believe I may be more helpful in this matter. Is the young lady someone you know very well?”

Nie Mingjue wonders if he should correct him. He should. “Young master. I should think you know of him, since he is the Head Disciple of the Jiang sect. I’d like to think I know him better than he knows me, however. I hold him in the highest esteem.”

The shop owner son’s eyes fall onto Baxia, then back up at Nie Mingjue, and realization settles in his eyes. His back straightens as he tells Nie Mingjue, with firm confidence, “I believe I have just the thing for you, Sect Leader Nie.”

He waves to one of the workers and whispers something into his ears. The worker disappears with much haste and returns with two small wooden boxes stacked on top of one another. He puts them on the table in front of Nie Mingjue and Nie Zonghui and retreats like a ghost.

The boxes are opened by the young man with careful hands. There is a ribbon in each, one with deep vermilion color and another black as ink. Even before the ribbons are brought up for his inspection, he can already tell these cost a fortune.

“These ribbons were made with the silk of the Yellow Spiders from the Deathless Forest. They are the most valuable items we have.”

Nie Mingjue takes a tail of the red ribbon into his hand, feeling the smooth texture with his rough fingertips. The ribbons are smaller in width than the usual, thinner in fabric too. However, it is of firm structure despite its delicate material. Looking closer, he can see the subtle embroidery of a rabbit with long ears gazing up at a waning moon. What a charming sight. The black ribbon has a sleeping dragon underneath the same waning moon, in the same subtle style, clearly made as a pair.

They could not have offered him a better option.

“I will take both.”

They leave the shop without Nie Mingjue’s token, which has been given as an insurance until someone from the Nie Sect arrives to settle the bill. However, in his hand, Nie Mingjue has the priceless ribbons made from the spiritual Yellow Spiders, a fitting first offering. 

Later that day, scarcely a single person does not know that Nie Mingjue of the Qinghe Nie Sect has come courting. And his intended person is none other than Wei Wuxian, the ward of Jiang Fengmian.

For lunch, Nie Mingjue finds himself in the company of Jiang Fengmian in one of the patios on the lake. Neither of his wife nor his children are in sight.

He gives himself a pat in the back for the foresight of sending Zonghui away with the present for Wei Wuxian. He cannot imagine how unpleasant Jiang Fengmian would be if he sees the boxes. He might invent a way to accidentally drop them in the lake. 

“Thank you for inviting me to join you, Sect Leader Jiang.”

Jiang Fengmian smiles. “It’s nothing, Sect Leader Nie. I heard you enjoyed yourself in our market today. Did you find anything that you like?”

He definitely knows. Nie Mingjue pleasantly answers, “It’s always a pleasure to partake in your town’s market. I imagine I will have more than enough to appease Huaisang with.”

Their lunch is cleared and they are served with tea. The summer heat is almost bearable with the body of water around them. Yunmeng is pleasant in that way.

Jiang Fengmian is gazing at the lotuses, his hands on his back when he says, “I have thought of your offer, Sect Leader Nie. You must think I have no reason to refuse, logically. It is a sound idea, I admit. However, I will tell you what I told Sect Leader Jin the day I broke my daughter’s betrothal to his son; my children are the ones who will live with any marriages I arranged for them. A-xian is like a son to me, therefore I extend the same sentiment to him. I hope he, and his siblings will marry for love and nothing less.”

Maybe he has been going about this the wrong way.

“Sect Leader Jiang, what I say next, you may find it impertinent. Insolent, even. But if it will ease your consciousness, I have to say it.”

He has his attention. The Jiang patriarch turns to him, curious.

Here goes nothing. “I never intended to follow through with the betrothal. When the time is right, I have every intention to break off the engagement. I have told my brother this; it is for the greater good. I will tell Wei Wuxian of this arrangement in full detail.”

There is a light in Jiang Fengmian’s eyes as his lips stretch into a smile. “Well,” he says, almost laughing, “why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Nie Mingjue scoffs, also smiling. “I had hoped to appeal to your value as a sect leader. I see I should have put your position as a father first.”

“Indeed, you should have.”

For the first time since he arrives here, Nie Mingjue feels hopeful.

Jiang Fengmian himself leads him to Wei Wuxian’s rooms. Nie Mingjue has the ribbons in his hands . He had asked Jiang Fengmian who asked a servant to retrieve the priceless gift from Nie Zonghui. They are now standing in front of Wei Wuxian’s door. The loud laughter from inside stops both of them from knocking immediately. Clearly, Wei Wuxian is having a great time with his siblings.

Eventually, Jiang Fengmian knocks and the laughter ceases. The doors are opened by Jiang Wanyin, and his pleasant face immediately turns sour when he sees Nie Mingjue.

“A-cheng, A-li, may we speak with A-xian?”

Jiang Yanli stands up from her seat, visibly surprised and panicked by the way she glances at Wei Wuxian, who seems confused. Jiang Wanyin also looks caught off guard. Clearly, nobody had told Wei Wuxian yet.

“Uncle Jiang?”

“Of course, father.” The dutiful daughter wins instead of the protective sister. Jiang Yanli herds her brother out of the room, who protests silently as he goes.

When Nie Mingjue steps into the modest room, Wei Wuxian is bowing down to his waist, hands extended in a salute. “Sect Leader Nie, this lowly disciple greets you.”

He goes to grab his hands and lightly pushes him up. “Between us, there is no need for such formality. In fact, I should congratulate you for killing the legendary beast, the Xuanwu. You have achieved great things at such a young age.”

Wei Wuxian is visibly uncomfortable with the compliment. “The one who killed the beast was Lan Wangji. I only played a small part.”

What a humble man. Nie Mingjue knows for a fact that the both of them played a significant and equal role. “All the same, your contribution cannot be overlooked. Your name will now be accompanied with the epithet the Xuanwu Slayer. Take pride in it.”

What must life be for Wei Wuxian at this age, for him to look so uncomfortable being congratulated for his deeds? Nie Mingjue imagines he will know, in due time.

“A-xian,” Jiang Fengmian calls. His ward looks to him, questions in his eyes. “Sect Leader Nie has come to us with an offer. Will you hear us out?”

They laid it out for him. Nie Mingjue watches Wei Wuxian as Jiang Fengmian speaks and speaks. When his adoptive father said the word betrothal, Wei Wuxian sharply gasps.

“A betrothal? L-like Shijie and Jin Zixuan?”

“A-xian,” Jiang Fengmian says softly. “Let me finish. It will be a betrothal only in name. It is an alliance in disguise. When the time is right, we will break it off, if you want. There is no promises here.”

Wei Wuxian looks to Nie Mingjue, looking heartbreakingly young. “Sect Leader Nie, is this what you want?”

What an odd question. “Wei Wuxian, this engagement will only be made if you are willing to be tied for a time. If you have other prospects, you may bring them to the table and we will let them know. You are still a free man.”

The boy chortles, “No, Sect Leader, I don’t have any other prospects.”

“Then…”

Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath. When he meets Nie Mingjue’s eyes, he is resolved. “Yes, I agree to this betrothal.”

Nie Mingjue smiles. “Excellent.” The future is shaping up to be good. “Then, as my first courting gift…”

Back in Qinghe

Nie Huaisang stares at the missive disbelievingly. “What did my brother buy? A house? A land? A house and a land?”

The disciple bows even lower. “Words on the street is that he bought a gift for Wei Wuxian, Young Master.”

Is this what his brother feels whenever Nie Huaisang sends back a bill?

“Are they courting yet?” They better be. A servant in their household can never afford this sum even if they work their entire life!

“No, Sect Leader himself said it was, ah, an incentive for the Young Master for when Sect Leader presents his suit.”

Nie Huaisang puts down the missive and buries his face in his hands. Wei-xiong! What a bewitching man you are! Lan Wangji is not enough, so now you are going after my brother! Unbelievable!

Let’s hope Lan Wangji finds his courage soon, because at the rate his brother is going, Nie Huaisang finds himself hard pressed not to support his brother instead.

Chapter Text

“He left.”

Jiang Cheng sounds deathly angry. In the silent courtyard, void of servants as it is so early in the morning that the sun hasn’t peeked in yet, his voice carried over. Wei Wuxian freezes at the bottom of the stairs, slowly looking up to where Jiang Cheng stands in fury. 

“Jiang Cheng,” he says, cautious. “He has to return to the Unclean Realm. You know we are living in dangerous times now.”

His brother slowly makes his way down, stops at the last stair to force Wei Wuxian to look up at him. 

“He came here to buy you like a farm animal and left as soon as he got what he wanted.”

Wei Wuxian does not want to hear this. Jiang Cheng has no idea what he is talking about. He turns away to return to his room, where he can continue his sleep in peace. Jiang Cheng grabs his arm to stop him and forces him to turn around.

“He did not have the courtesy to ask after you when you were bedridden,” Jiang Cheng says harshly to his face. His anger is cold and it licks at Wei Wuxian. “Father told me he did not know A-jie’s no longer engaged when he came here. Why do you think he asks for your hand, when he’d barely spare a glance at you before? You are a renowned name by your own right now after slaughtering the beast. Do you think this man-”

“Jiang Cheng,” he interrupts softly. Looks at his brother’s chest so he can avoid looking him in the eye. “I hold no false hopes for this man. He told me what he wanted. I agreed. That is all to it.”

Yunmeng Jiang cannot find a better ally than Qinghe Nie. If it takes Wei Wuxian’s good name being dragged through the mud when this engagement is inevitably broken off, then so be it. 

He takes the hand on his arm into his own, holds it with a strong grip as he finally meets Jiang Cheng’s eyes, full of anxiety and bitterness. 

A smile tugs at his lips. “Jiang Cheng, I assure you, you will never get rid of me. Have you met me? Nobody in their right mind will marry me.I don’t want to get married before you do anyway. And who knows how long that will take?”

Jiang Cheng loses that storm in his eyes, but his frown remains. “I can think of plenty of people in Gusu Lan who would challenge Nie Mingjue for your hand.”

Wei Wuxian’s heart lightens at the soft teasing. He should never have doubted his shidi. “I bet they are weeping.”

The hand Nie Mingjue held just before he rode off into the dark burns hot.

Nie Mingjue did not expect anyone to see him and Zonghui off when they leave Yunmeng, but there’s Wei Wuxian, wrapped in a thick robe as he makes his way through the courtyard to where they are mounted on their respective horses. He dismounts and meets his betrothed in the middle.

“You did not have to see us off,” he says.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes are swollen, a sign that he’d been asleep before coming here. “If we are to keep this farce,” he whispers, eyes drifting to the gate where two men stand and are noticeably gawking before straightening up when Nie Mingjue turns around. “We have to at least put some effort.” He finishes.

Leaving right after sealing the deal would look pretty tasteless. With this intimate display, Wei Wuxian has given the social circles more than enough to swoon over. Nie Mingjue is impressed, despite himself. It’s something Huaisang would have done. A burst of fondness spreads through his chest.

“Safe travel, Sect Leader Nie. I anxiously awaits your letter claiming your safe return to your home. Give my regards to Nie Huaisang.” With those parting words, Wei Wuxian salutes and turns to leave, only to stop when Nie Mingjue calls his name.

Nie Mingjue spends his time running the sect, training his disciples and discussing politics with his peers. He has little to no experience in playing a devoted man to his love. But if there is one thing he knows, nothing screams affection louder than a gentle touch.

Rough hands emboldened in callouses takes Wei Wuxian’s. The boy’s eyes turn wide, mouth falls, but he holds no resistance when his hand is engulfed. Nie Mingjue feels the piercing stare of his cousin behind him as he looks Wei Wuxian in the eyes, saying, “And I anxiously awaits the day I will behold you once again.”

Then he mounts the horse and rides off without looking back. 

He thinks he’s not so bad at this.

They arrive at the Unclean Realm as the sun is high and striking. The sweat at his back is making his clothes stick and he probably should have taken Zonghui’s suggestion to use the carriage, because Huaisang is waiting on top of the battlement, watching their progress until they crossed the gate before making his way down.

“Welcome home, dage,” are his welcoming words, “Do you have an explanation?” are what follows.

“Didi,” Nie Mingjue says gravely, “I miss you. How is the sect holding up?”

“Your sect is as you left it. Can we discuss the switch of roles between us? Though I don’t think I’ve ever held that much sum in my entire life, much less handing it over to pay your shopping expenses.”

Nie Mingjue laughs, loud and bellowing. He pats Huaisang on his back, the boy protesting softly when the gesture turns into pushing him into the hall.

“It was for a small token for your friend. It is a befitting gift. I see no need to fuss over it. Now, will you help me with the letters?”

In the event of a match being made between the gentry families, formalities dictate that an announcement of some sort must be made. This announcement can be made in person, during the celebratory banquet, or through letters, though modest and simple. Nie Mingjue elects for the letters, because holding a banquet would be terribly inappropriate at this time. Xichen is still missing. And although Nie Mingjue knows his dearest friend is safe, he has to act the part.

“Are you betrothed then?” Huaisang asks as they sit down.

He scoffs. “Thanks to Wei Wuxian himself. If I had spent the entire visit talking to Jiang Fengmian, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”

Huaisang frowns. “Did you tell Wei-xiong about the full arrangement?”

“Of course. I also told Jiang Fengmian, the only way to make him consider the engagement. Now, I am a man to be married in the eyes of society. I assume there are certain expectations that comes with it. I will rely on you to lead me.”

The letters are dispatched in haste the next morning. By the end of the week, the cultivation world and the common people alike are enraptured by the unlikely pair.

Not a single person comes forward to prove that before the whole engagement business, Nie Mingjue had ever spoken to Wei Wuxian. However, many, mainly from Yunmeng, claims that the regards Nie Mingjue holds for Wei Wuxian is true. That Nie Mingjue himself had come courting not by arrangement, but by singular hope that Wei Wuxian may deign to look his way, even if he had to be enticed to it. And if a certain pair whisper into curious ears of a passionate goodbye at the break of dawn, well, nobody can prove it was them.

Stories from Qinghe are not as abundant, but there are interesting gossips to tell. Rumors had it that the Second Young Master paid a stately amount of money to gift his future brother-in-law a magical artifact. The Sect Leader himself seems to be writing letters every afternoon, his sword scarcely used by his side. The disciples sense a change in their master. His countenance are softer, his words more encouraging than threatening these days. He seems especially fond of the young ones, indulging them endlessly.

Children seems to be a non-issue in the future, the old ones say wisely.

However, to anyone who had been Wei Wuxian’s classmates in Cloud Recesses, this turn of events is nothing short of an earth-shaking, ground-breaking development.

“What about Lan Wangji?” they say into their pillows, for they have nobody to commiserate with but their own company and their former classmates about the weird summer they spent watching Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.

What about Lan Wangji, indeed.

Lan Xichen hears the news from Meng Yao, and accidentally ripped the robe he had been washing by the river. He had not ripped anything in two weeks.

“What?” he says, aghast. 

Meng Yao’s eyes shift from him to the ruined robe, then back to him. “The Sect Leader Nie is officially betrothed to Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang. People are talking about it at the wet market.”

Lan Xichen wonders if he has been gone for so long that he missed an entire decade because that sounds like Mingjue-xiong is engaged to Wei Wuxian, the boy his brother spent an entire summer mooning over. There has to be some kind of mistake. Rumors of the gentry families spread to the common people are always absurdly false.

“That can’t be right.” Lan Xichen had plans. If…if this is true…

Oh what is his brother to do?

“There are letters to the sects. I asked around to verify it because you said Sect Leader Nie is like a brother to you. It is true.”

If Lan Xichen knows Mingjue-xiong as well as he thinks he does, then there must be a plan behind this engagement. The most Mingjue-xiong had ever said about Wei Wuxian to him was ‘Huaisang wrote in his letter that Wei Wuxian is bothering Lan Wangji. He said some things I don’t understand but let me know if you need an intervention to help Wangji. I’ll write to Jiang Fengmian.’ And that had been more about Wangji than Wei Wuxian. Where did this amorous development come from? No, there must be something else. Looks like he has to set his plan into motion sooner than later.

He stands up and walks to Meng Yao.

“Meng Yao, I need your help. I have a plan to win the upcoming war. I was going to do it alone but we are running out of time. I need a right hand man if I want to accomplish this as soon as possible. Will you help me?”

The glint in Meng Yao’s eyes is bright. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask, Sect Leader Lan.”

“Seems like Jiang Fengmian secured himself another great alliance after the mess with you and Maiden Jiang.”

Jin Zixuan releases the arrow before turning to his cousin. “What do you mean?” he asks.

Jin Zixun brings his sword up to inspect the nonexistent dust. He’s clearly dragging this out. “They said Sect Leader Nie came begging for that servant’s son Wei Wuxian after hearing the news that he slaughtered the Xuanwu. Congratulations to them, I guess.”

Jin Zixuan frowns, fingers delicately skating across the arrows as he contemplates. “And Wei Wuxian agreed?”

His cousin hears the unspoken question and snorts. “They can’t get a better prospect than a Sect Leader of one of the Great Five Sects. A second young master, no matter how illustrious, cannot compare. They probably didn’t give him much of a choice.”

“But Nie Mingjue is a good friend of Lan Xichen.”

“Who is missing, and most probably dead. Nie Mingjue is not wrong for this.”

“Of course,” Jin Zixuan agrees. His cousin has a complex about the young Sect Leader. “Is there to be a banquet?”

“No, seems like Nie Mingjue still has a shred of respect for his friend.”

Jin Zixuan is sure that is not the case. Holding banquet in this terse time might invite actual problems. Nie Mingjue has to invite the Wen Sect to not risk alienating that sect and bring disaster upon his sect, because it will be a war declaration if he were to not invite them. Jin Zixuan wonders if he should send a letter of congratulations and well wishes, if only to spite Wei Wuxian. Terrible engagement solidarity might bring them together, though, so he throws the idea away. He will not go anywhere near Wei Wuxian. His eye still throbs at the memory.

“Do you think they’ll call him Nie-furen?” Jin Zixun asks, cackling after.

Jin Zixuan remembers the finery the last Nie-furen wore. He had been four. His cheeks warmed when he thinks of Wei Wuxian dressed in the same fine robes and delicate jewelries. The sun is messing with his head.

Wang. Xian.

Lan Wangji had said it clearly. It had been a confession in its purest form. Nobody could have mistaken it for anything else.

So why…

Sadness in literature are imagined and worded by the experience of the poets. They are heartrending, binding in its wholeness, and humbling in its greatness. Lan Wangji has read more poems than he could remember, but he finds that when one is overcome with heartbreak, there is no beautiful form, only a litany of why.

Wei Ying, why? Why him? Why not me? Why look at me if you cannot love me as I love you? Wei Ying, tell me why.

His hands are blistering. He hasn’t stopped playing the guqin since he returns from his uncle’s rooms. It is well pass curfew now. 

Wei Ying is promised to another.

Lan Wangji stops when a deep cut forms on his finger. He looks down, finds his hands are soaked with blood.

Wei Ying will never look at him.

He stands up.

Wei Ying is promised to another.

He opens the door of the Jingshi. Meets the startled eyes of an outer disciple. Ignores him.

Wei Ying will never look at him.

The way to the spring is silent. Nobody is around as curfew has set. Lan Wangji walks with his hands by his sides.

Wei Ying is promised to another.

What a terrible curse. No wonder his mother died for it.

The water is cold.

Chapter Text

The gifts start coming a week after Nie Mingjue’s visit.

They never come unaccompanied. Often, two disciples or more are responsible for delivering the items to their intended person, and will refuse to leave until they have Wei Wuxian’s letter for their Sect Leader in hand. This causes a severe distress to Wei Wuxian, for he has neither gifts of equal value to give in return nor more sincere words of gratitude than ‘thank you’. His fear was assuaged when Uncle Jiang told him that this is his due as it was Nie Mingjue who came asking for his hand and not the other way around. It is only right that the one being courted is him.

There are four gifts in total. The first, a collection of priceless books from the personal vault of the Nie clan - the family, not the sect. It is a great gift, one that Wei Wuxian finds himself pouring over for the next few days and nights. Before he finishes half of the books, the second gift has arrived.

A great bow made of a beasts’ bone, sturdy and white as a jade. The material has been polished and painted over with a clear substance so that it reflects under the sun and carved with delicate designs. Not too light, not too heavy. A perfect balance that Wei Wuxian wonders if it had been made with him in mind. When he took it to the training ground, he has never scored such easy bullseye.

The third gift is one that Wei Wuxian finds himself disappointed over. Three long boxes presented before him, each houses a flute, each one more beautiful and expensive than the other. They are pretty gifts, and perfectly acceptable courting gifts. But the standard the first two have set has doomed him for disappointment over the third. His skill in flute is no better than a novice - good for drinking songs and the likes. To play those bawdy songs on these priceless gifts would do them a great disservice them.

The fourth gift comes with Nie Huaisang in tow. Letters from Nie Mingjue suggest that his brother knows of the arrangement and that he has been asking advice from him lately. He greets him with joy, asks after him and invites him to join him for an afternoon outing. Huaisang agrees, but not before presenting Wei Wuxian the courting gift he’s brought with him.

A golden hair crown, made with thin winding arches shaped into flowers and ruby stones. Along with it was a matching hairpin. It is a delicate work that suits a nobleman than a cultivator.

It will join the flutes in a forgotten corner of his room.

Nie Mingjue’s letters are another courting gifts on their own. The contents are often of little consequence. He asks after Wei Wuxian and his family, what he would like to do, and his dislikes and likes. He, in return, details his daily life, the happenings in his court (maybe not such of little consequence, then), and he constantly asks for Wei Wuxian’s advice. 

If Wei Wuxian does not know better, he would have think this is an earnest courting. What a formidable man, this Sect Leader is.

“I constructed half of those letters,” Nie Huaisang says, with a snobbish sniff.

Wei Wuxian finds himself appalled by this revelation. “Nie-xiong, that is a cruel lie. What would you do if I believe it and have my heart broken?”

Nie Huaisang tells him that he is sixteen and would not know a broken heart if it wears a clown mask and dances in front of him. Wei Wuxian proceeds to prove him wrong by confessing to the nearest maiden and has his heart broken by the firm refusal that follows not a second later.

The people of Yunmeng thinks this is a sign of a harmonious Nie household in the future.

A month ago

“We cannot attack Yunmeng Jiang.”

The declaration from Wen Ruohan is met with disbelief from his sons. The Sect Leader throws down the missive that arrived last night. Wen Chao scrambles to pick it up and read it aloud, his voice growing more incredulous as he goes on.

“Upon this letter, it is declared that Nie Mingjue, Sect Leader of Qinghe Nie Sect is officially betrothed to Wei Wuxian, Head Disciple of Yunmeng Jiang Sect. The wedding will be held once Wei Wuxian reaches the age of maturity, two years hence. A thousand blessings and well-wishes for the Sect Leader and Head Disciple on their betrothal and upcoming nuptial. Signed, the Office of Qinghe Nie Sect.”

Wen Xu finds this a smart move on Nie Mingjue’s part. Wen Chao, not so much.

“Nie Mingjue is stupid for thinking he can tame Wei Wuxian,” his stupid brother says. “He will soon lose his integrity and credibility for consorting with the likes of that dog.”

His brother still thinks the entire cultivation world believes he was the one who slaughtered the beast Xuanwu. Wen Xu, as the dutiful older brother, should tell him that nobody believes it from day one.

So, he will not.

“A-Xu,” his father calls. Wen Xu salutes deeply, awaiting the order. “Be prepared to attack the Unclean Realm in a month. Go.”

And so, the thread of fate changes its course.

Present day

“I came here for a reason,” Nie Huaisang tells him.

Wei Wuxian opens his blurry eyes to look at his friend. He’s pretty sure they are both too drunk right now for a conversation. The number of empty wine bottles around them should attest to that. Jiang Cheng is already snoring, face down on the table. Nie Huaisang in comparison looks prim and proper, sipping another glass as if it’s tea.

“What?”

“My brother extends his invitation for you to visit the Unclean Realm.”

Huh. That’s.

“Gotta ask Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu,” he says. Or what he thinks he says.

Nie Huaisang, well versed in his friends’ drunk chatter, waves that away with his fan. “Brother asked for permission a week ago. I am here as our sect’s courtesy to be your escort.”

Wei Wuxian thinks this is funny. He, in his entire life, has never needed an escort. Strange, what being the betrothed of a powerful man entails. “You didn’t come here because you missed me?”

“Aiyah, Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang says with the voice of a wronged man. “You know that’s not it. They could have sent Nie Zonghui. In fact, he should have been the one here. But I offered the moment I heard about it.”

“Alright, alright, I believe you,” Wei Wuxian says with a lighthearted chuckle. He has no doubt being out of his brother’s watchful eyes also plays a part of that offer, but he will not begrudge his friend for that. He had been under the scrutiny of those eyes for less than a day and it feels…

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“Have you heard from the Lan sect?” he asks as casually as he can.

“The Nie sect is still supplying them with anything they need to rebuild. Xichen-ge is still missing, but brother told me he’s safe. Lan Wangji has fully recovered from his injuries. Ah, I still haven’t offered you my congratulations for that feat with the beast.”

Wei Wuxian waves his salute away. “Lan Zhan did most of the work. I was swallowed by the beast, I’ll let you know. When I woke up, there’s only the carcass left of it.”

“I do not believe that,” Nie Huaisang says firmly, his fan animated as he gestures with his hands. “Wei-xiong, you always downplay your true accomplishments. As the future husband of the Sect Leader of our Qinghe Nie, a sect that above all values accomplishments, this must be rectified.”

The alcohol is starting to lose its affect, so when Wei Wuxian hears that, he only sighs instead of laughing at the absurdity of the claim. Who says there’s a future husband of Sect Leader Nie in this Wei Wuxian? Nie-xiong, please be logical.

“We both know this is a sham of an engagement. Madam Yu already hammers down the etiquette on me. To think further than that would be a waste of time.”

Wei Wuxian wonders if he has offended Nie Huaisang’s Nie sensibility (because he does have them, believe it or not) when his friend does not reply immediately. He looks to him, who appears somber as he nurses the cup in his hand.

“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang starts, “I don’t think this engagement should stay what we wanted it to be in the beginning. We are already close friends. The closest I have, in fact. Do you not think so? Plus, my brother thinks the world of you. Is there a better foundation for a successful marriage?”

This time, he does laugh. 

“Wei-xiong,” Nie Huaisang whines. “I don’t care what Lan Wangji offers you, but don’t you think my brother is a better option? When I saw the price of that ribbon in your hair, I was convinced my brother bought you a land and a house with full servants, as a starting courting gift.”

“Lan Wangji?” Wei Wuxian echoes with disbelief, never mind the implication of the value of the red ribbon he’s wearing. “What does Lan Zhan have anything to do with this? He could barely look me in the eye!”

For a moment, Nie Huaisang stares at him. Then, he starts sputtering. “Are you serious?” he asks, voice too loud for the night. “Lan Wangji would offer you the stone where the rules of his sect are carved into for you to break if it means he could have the chance to court you. Are you telling me you don’t know?”

“Don’t lie!” Wei Wuxian says over the rapidly beating of his heart, his short breaths. Of course Nie-xiong is lying. There’s no way Lan Zhan sees him that way. There is absolutely no way! Because if he’s right, then…

Nie-xiong looks at him, stricken. “You didn’t know,” he says.

Wei Wuxian crumbles.

The only thing Wei Wuxian is grateful for is that Jiang Cheng slept through that whole mess of a revelation. Two days after that, they are on their way to the Unclean Realm. Him, Jiang Cheng, a senior disciple that had been part of Uncle Jiang’s generation to serve as a chaperone from the Jiang side, Nie Huaisang, and two disciples he brought with him.

Nie-xiong offered him an apology that very night. Wei Wuxian told him he has nothing to apologize for. He still thinks that Nie-xiong has been in the wrong conclusion the entire time, but his friend told him their entire school mates are of the same opinion. There is little Wei Wuxian can do about that unless he asks Lan Zhan himself. Which sounds mortifying and he would sooner throw himself into the Burial Mounds before he ever attempts it.

He vanishes the entire thing from his mind and focuses on meeting his betrothed soon.

Nie Mingjue has proven himself willing to play along with Wei Wuxian’s schemes. He has no doubt that they will be getting along well. Nie Huaisang has been endlessly singing praises of his brother in Wei Wuxian’s face, a clear attempt to win him over. Wei Wuxian does not have the heart to tell him this engagement will end sooner than later, and not in marriage.

His betrothed meets them in the main courtyard of the Unclean Realm. He’s dressed in his full battle regalia, as if expecting a fight at any moment’s notice. Wei Wuxian feels woefully dressed down in his humble disciple robe and borrowed sword.

Nevertheless, Nie Mingjue greets him first.

“Welcome to the Unclean Realm, Young Master Wei, Young Master Jiang,” he says as he offers a hand to help Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian takes the hand and dismount the horse with as much grace as he could, feeling the eyes of the entire courtyard on them. What an uncomfortable welcome.

“I understand you might want to freshen up first. Let my servants show you where you will be staying so you can rest. Afterwards, please join me for tonight’s banquet,” Nie Mingjue says all of this to Wei Wuxian, still holding his hand.

With a wobbly smile, Wei Wuxian pulls back to salute, as he should have done first. “We thank you for your hospitality, Sect Leader Nie. Of course, we will be honored to join you tonight.”

Nie Mingjue offers him his own salute. “Then, please excuse me.” With that he walks away with the faithful Nie Zonghui and disciples behind him.

His departure stands as a signal for the people in the courtyard to disperse as well. Wei Wuxian sighs in relief as his brother approaches him. “I’m pretty sure that counts as a slight against me,” Jiang Cheng says, squinting at the retreating back of Nie Mingjue.

Wei Wuxian smacks his arm. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Nie Mingjue was just playing his part. Nothing wrong with that.

Nie Huaisang disagrees, for the wrong reasons. “He should have stayed longer!” he whines. “What kind of man would leave his betrothed with only a few words after inviting him to his house? Don’t worry, Wei-xiong, I’ll straighten him up for this mistake!”

“Please don’t.” He would rather not have Nie Mingjue’s presence by his side during this entire visit.

The banquet is small, with only the Yunmeng Jiang disciples in attendant, Nie Huaisang and a few of his cousins, Nie Mingjue himself and his trusted advisers that numbers three people. Wei Wuxian finds himself placed right beside Nie Mingjue, no doubt arranged by the well-meaning intervention of Nie Huaisang (he looks entirely too smug). This could not have been more uncomfortable if the golden hair crown he’s wearing had been heavier.

“You look like somebody poisoned your wine.”

Wei Wuxian looks to his betrothed. Nie Mingjue sips his own wine, the words he had said in whisper unheard by anybody but them. 

“Why am I here?” he eventually asks.

The man shrugs. “I figured it was only proper for me to invite my betrothed to the place he will call home, someday. How do you like it, so far?”

This was not Wei Wuxian’s first time standing on the Unclean Realm ground. Six years ago, Uncle Jiang finally allowed his ward (not yet head disciple) to attend the Discussion Conference hosted by the Nie sect. Wei Wuxian, who had been ten at the time and barely learned his manners and etiquette, spent almost the entire visit cooped up in his and Jiang Cheng’s room because Madam Yu would not suffer the embarrassment he would bring them. He did not have the pleasure to explore the honored house of the Nie Sect, and he certainly did not have the opportunity to correct that this time. He tells Nie Mingjue so.

“Would you like to walk with me tomorrow morning? Our armory has much to offer, as does our training ground. I trust you brought the bow with you. I would like to see the famed skill that put my entire sect to shame last Discussion Conference with my own eyes this time.”

It is a delightful offer, so he accepts it with a wide smile. When he looks at the other guests, Jiang Cheng is raising an eyebrow at him and Nie Huaisang looks dreadfully delighted. What nosy friends, he has.

The banquet goes on until late at night. Wei Wuxian feels happily tipsy by the end, hanging onto Jiang Cheng to continue standing. They say their goodbye and thanks to Nie Mingjue before leaving with Nie Huaisang as their guide.

“I do not doubt it,” the second young master says. “My brother never offers anyone to see the armory, Wei-xiong. He is infatuated with you.”

Jiang Cheng makes a mutinous face. “He better be.”

Wei Wuxian feels too lightheaded for this nonsense. “If he is in love me, there will be a servant waiting to serve me at my rooms.”

There is a servant, with drawn bath and fresh robes. Wei Wuxian curses the high heavens as Nie Huaisang falls all over himself with delight.

The nights ends in such a lighthearted note. That’s why when the first explosion erupts, nobody expects it.

Wei Wuxian rushes to the battlement, Jiang Cheng and the chaperone Uncle Jiang assigned him, Wu Baiyi, by his side. When he sees the red sun flag, he feels a rush of anger so great he did not notice Nie Mingjue approaching him.

“They have come,” his betrothed says, calm as an undisturbed lake.

Wei Wuxian schools his face into something less expressive. “You are not surprised.”

The man smirks, his Baxia drawn and screaming bloodlust. “I was waiting for them.”

Chapter Text

When the date of Yunmeng Jiang Sect’s massacre passed and not a single red robe was spotted in Yunmeng, Nie Mingjue is forced to recalculate the consequences of his actions.

When he offered his hand to Wei Wuxian, he had counted on Wen Ruohan to take it with a grain of salt and launch the attack regardless. The new alliance was supposed to give him the ground to protect Yunmeng Jiang with the full force of his sect without raising eyebrows, not annihilating the possibility of an attack entirely. With this, the future-past he knows has shifted its course into an entirely new destination. And he does not know where to go without a map.

He is forced to mull over this for a few days until a long awaited letter arrives.

“Xichen,” his relief is not entirely faked. Sure, he had known his friend was safe, but it’s one thing to know it with certainty, and another to see him standing in front of him, well and healthy. Not to mention its been too long since he’s been able to talk to his friend, not at him. The difference makes a world’s difference, especially when it was ongoing for sixteen years.

Lan Xichen looks as he was so many years ago. Nie Mingjue should stop being surprised when he sees old-young faces again.

“Mingjue-xiong.” His old friend rises from his seat and salutes him. Lans. Put them in a pit of vipers and they will attempt diplomacy first.

He strides forward into the room to hug the silly man.

The future-past had not been kind to everyone, but his friend suffered the most for all the wrong reasons. A kind heart, endlessly compassionate, and he was paid with betrayal from all sides. If Wei Wuxian was the man Nie Mingjue brought to ruin directly, then Lan Xichen was the man he brought to ruin indirectly.

Him and Huaisang were changed by his death so much that they were barely a fraction of who they are now by the time Jin Guangyao was cold inside their shared tomb. He could blame Jin Guangyao all he wants, but it does not erase the fact that he left both of them alone to deal with the aftermath.

He is still haunted with the knowledge that in the future-past, Lan Xichen chose to seclude himself from the world. The last time he saw him was in the Guanyin Temple, barely aware of the people around him as his sword was drenched in the blood of a man he once called brother.

Jin Guangyao had done many unforgivable things, but this one cut too close to heart.

“I am glad to see you as well, Mingjue-xiong,” Lan Xichen’s voice is tender as he returns the hug.

Slightly embarrassed, he pulls away and invites them both to sit. A fresh pot of tea is already on the table. He has good servants.

“I trust you have been well during your time away?” With Meng Yao, undoubtedly. Thinking of the man anywhere near Xichen brings him terrible dread, but some evils are necessary.

Lan Xichen smiles as he accepts the cup of tea Nie Mingjue poured and offered. “It has been an enlightening experience, but I am not here to trade stories. Times are changing, Mingjue-xiong.”

It is. Luckily, Nie Mingjue has lived through this once. “The Wen Sect will pay for what they did to your home, Xichen.” 

It is entirely too unfortunate he had been too late to prevent that tragedy. A week earlier, and he would have had Wen Xu’s head as the war declaration flag to prematurely start the Sunshot Campaign. He had done it once. The second time will no doubt be as satisfying as the first.

Lan Xichen looks morose. “We could never repay the debt we owe you, Mingjue-xiong.”

“Small thing,” Nie Mingjue says with a raised hand. It was the least he could do. “Plus, Gusu Lan sect will be a valuable ally in the upcoming war. It was only right to help.”

He had not mean to say that because war was still an unspoken thing at this time, but Lan Xichen’s eyes glint with something sharp. “I see we are of the same mind. You also think the war is inevitable, don’t you?”

In the past timeline, he had not seen Lan Xichen until next month, when the sects had gathered at the remains of the Cloud Recesses. That Lan Xichen is here is another thing that has changed. He had been too glad to see his old friend to think of the implication until now.

“The Wen Sect had been annexing smaller sects behind our back for months. Gusu Lan is too big of a sect for us to ignore. War is necessary, at this point.”

Lan Xichen nods. “For the past weeks, Wangji and I had been working to gather the support of other sects. Luckily, the boldness of the Wen Sect plays in our favor. Wangji and I have gathered about fifty sects under our banner, and the number of cultivators that pledged themselves to this cause is no less than nine thousand. We have an army, Mingjue-xiong.”

Nie Mingjue could only gape.

Last time, Xichen had done the same thing. He does not know what changed to drive his friend to be more efficient, but this is beyond his wildest dream. He had been under the assumption that he will have to do all the heavy lifting himself, but it seems Xichen is determined to prove him wrong.

“Then you have mine as well. You can expect a significant addition to you rank.”

Lan Xichen is stumbled only for a moment by the swift response before he gathers himself. “You have been thinking of this for a while, haven’t you?”

It’s not what Xichen thinks, but yes. He’s thought of this for twenty years. “We of Qinghe Nie never forget any debts. Wen Ruohan killed my father. The people know the truth. We have been waiting for this.”

His friend rises to salute Nie Mingjue deeply. “Thank you, Sect Leader Nie.”

Aish. These Lans. “None of that, Xichen. Truthfully, if this war does not start in my lifetime, I would storm into the Nightless City to take Wen Ruohan’s head myself. Compared to you, I have barely done anything. Sit. We are friends here.”

Seated once again, Lan Xichen appears conflicted. “Mingjue-xiong,” he starts. Then says nothing more. Nie Mingjue’s eyebrow rises. His friend is rarely at a lost for words. Lan Xichen seems to be battling a great war within himself. 

With the air of a man on a chopping board, Lan Xichen looks him in the eye and says, “You said you have barely done anything, but that is not true, isn’t it? Is it true you are engaged to Wei Wuxian?”

Huh. He’d wondered when that would come up. “Judging by the manner of your question, you already know why I did it.” The tension he had not noticed on Lan Xichen dispersed immediately. Curious. “What’s on your mind, Xichen?”

“What do you mean you’ve been waiting for them?” Wei Wuxian asks over the chaos around them.

The Wen force - which numbers about three hundred, by his estimation - had been immediately overwhelmed by the Nie cultivators that were lying in wait. Archers had been placed around the battlement and the surrounding rocky area, which provided perfect hiding spots for a surprise attack. Wei Wuxian himself had taken out the great white bow Nie Mingjue gave him. Each of his arrow finds their target even in the dark, true and swift. Beside him, Jiang Cheng had borrowed a bow and is working just as tirelessly.

Nie Mingjue stands still, Baxia gripped tightly in his big hand. His eyes are watching over the fight below them, looking for something in the dark.

“We have informants,” he answers. “We’ve been watching the movement of the Wen Sect for a while. I know they are coming because one month ago, Wen Ruohan rescinded the order for Wen Chao to attack Yunmeng Jiang. Instead, he sent his first son to Qinghe Nie.”

One month ago- “Why did he rescind the order?” Wei Wuxian had to yell that question because something explodes in the distant.

“Because I was the one who proposed the engagement. Wen Ruohan is a crafty man. He must know I have something under my sleeve when I did that. He also must thought this attack would catch me off guard.”

Nie Mingjue’s grin is feral. “Foolish.”

“They were going to attack Yunmeng Jiang?” Jiang Cheng sounds enraged. 

“They changed their target to Qinghe Nie. You’re welcome.” With those parting words, Nie Mingjue jumps from the battlement.

Wei Wuxian gapes after the man.

“Is he insane?!” Jiang Cheng is just as surprised.

It turns out they had nothing to worry about. When Nie Mingjue lands, his great spiritual energy swiped the nearby cultivators off their feet, nearly killing off fifty at once. The dramatic show of power turns Wei Wuxian’s stomach - in a good way. Nie Mingjue tears through the Wen cultivators like paper, steadily working towards somewhere only he knows. 

A shadow moves in the corner of Wei Wuxian’s eye. It’s Nie Zonghui. He follows his Sect Leader down, wielding twin sabers that fell foes faster than anyone can counter. In the blink of an eye, he’s guarding Nie Mingjue back to back. The Nie archers have also joined the battle with their swords. There are barely any arrows flying but from the battlement.

Wei Wuxian is going to do something foolish.

“Don’t,” Jiang Cheng warns. Wei Wuxian turns to his brother, who looks at him with such a stern face that it makes him laugh.

“Sorry,” he says, and jumps to follow Nie Mingjue and Nie Zonghui.

“Wei Wuxian you idiot!”

The difference between a common sword and a spiritual sword that had bonded with you lies in the force you could command it with. With Suibian, Wei Wuxian needs only but a small flick of his wrist to cut deep. With a common sword that is nothing short of a glorified knife, he is forced to use his entire body strength, his spiritual energy is entirely useless at the moment.

It takes him longer than he would like to catch up with the two men, but he makes it there. When Nie Mingjue catches sight of him, his eyes grow as wide as saucer and his eyebrows are raised so high they nearly reach his hairline. A little farther beside him, Nie Zonghui looks similarly surprised.

“Wei Wuxian!” Nie Mingjue bellows as he stabs a man who had, quite literally, run into his sword. “What are you doing here, foolish boy!”

Oh boy. That did not sound like a question at all. “I’m helping!” he yells back as he barely dodges a sword. He kicks the man on his ribs and slits his throat.

“You don’t even have your sword! You would been a better help if you had stayed at the battlement!”

Oh wow. He’s really angry, isnt he? ”Forgive me, Sect Leader Nie! You can scold me later when we’re not fighting for our lives!”

“I’ll lecture you whenever I want!”

“Save it for later!” Nie Zonghui yells. Wei Wuxian nods furiously as he stabs another man.

Nie Mingjue pulls his sword out, heaving as he approaches Wei Wuxian. “You,” he says darkly, his bloodied saber pointed at Wei Wuxian. “Stay close to me.”

That was not what he expected, but it’s so much better than the scenario he’d painted in his mind. Being run through with Baxia, for example. “I planned to.”

They resume their three men crusade.

With Nie Mingjue spearheading them, they make a swift movement into the heart of the Wen Sect’s force. Wei Wuxian is beginning to feel like he’d been getting ahead of himself. Nie Mingjue and Nie Zonghui clearly has this handled. As he cuts down another cultivator, arms screaming, he thinks he has never misses Suibian as much. In the past few minutes alone, if he had his beloved sword with him, he would have easily cut down enemies thrice the number he currently has. In comparison, the two Qinghe Nie sect men leave a terrifying number of body on their trail.

Yeah, he’d been getting ahead of himself.

“Wen Xu!” Nie Mingjue bellows, great and demanding. “Come here so I can take off your head and display it in my courtyard!”

Wei Wuxian doesn’t know how he missed it, but there’s a horse in the middle of the chaos. The man sitting astride the black stallion has a sneer on his face. His sword gleaming with blood as he slowly points it at Nie Mingjue.

“Nie Mingjue, you did me a great favor by coming here yourself so I can slaughter you like a lamb.”

“I’ll send your cut up corpse in a box to your father as a gift.”

The sneer grows even more prominent. “I’d like to see you try.” Wen Xu - Wen Ruohan’s first son, the heir to the Wen Sect, Wei Wuxian struggles to remember. He does not look like his brother Wen Chao at all. Wen Chao’s face is too wide for his height, with small beady eyes. Combined with his terrible personality, he is quite possibly the ugliest man Wei Wuxian has ever seen. This man looks more like Wen Ruohan. It’s in the shape of his eyes and face.

The man’s eyes flick towards Wei Wuxian. “I see you brought your child bride with you.”

Nie Mingjue assumes an offensive stance. “Why are you looking somewhere else when I’m about to kill you?”

There is a clear personal vendetta between them as their swords clash. Wei Wuxian makes himself useful by following Nie Zonghui’s lead and picking off any enemies that might pose a threat to the fight. He wonders how angry Jiang Cheng must be. He’s not looking forward for word of this to reach Madam Yu and Shijie. 

“Your swordsmanship is remarkable,” Nie Zonghui praises unprompted.

Wei Wuxian dodges a sword that would have taken his head off. “Thanks!” he yells. “Your sabers are cool too!” When he turns to check, there’s a ghost of a smile on Nie Zonghui’s lips.

“When this is over,” Nie Zonghui continues, unbothered by the attacks of the enemy cultivators. He’s so cool. “I can teach you how to wield them. It’s not bad to have multiple skillsets in your arsenal.”

Wei Wuxian can brag about this for a year . He will brag about this to Jiang Cheng. When he’s no longer murderously mad at him. “Thank you so much, Nie-gongzi!”

“Call me Zonghui-ge.”

He stumbles.

If he is not in the middle of a literal life and death situation, he would have sputtered. What a brazen request! “Thank you, Zonghui-ge!” Nevertheless, never let it be said there’s someone more shameless than Wei Wuxian. If a cool older man wants to teach him sword techniques and asks him to call him -ge, Wei Wuxian will do it. Who would be so foolish to refuse the right hand man of Nie Mingjue anyway? The only man with a more notorious reputation from Qinghe is the Sect Leader himself. This is like fortune falling into his lap.

Nie Mingjue and Wen Xu are still locked in combat. A quick sweep of look around them confirms Wei Wuxian’s hunch earlier - they will win this battle. The number of enemy cultivators are dwindling down. The Wen sect force never had a chance because Nie Mingjue had them playing right into his palm from the beginning.

“Surrender, and you can die with dignity,” Nie Mingjue says to his opponent.

Wen Xu looks far too beaten up for what a few minutes’ fight can do. He spits blood to the side and glares at Nie Mingjue through blood soaked lashes. “I’d rather be eaten by fierce corpses rather than surrender to the likes of you.”

“Shame,” Nie Mingjue replies, unaffected as he raises Baxia to rest on Wen Xu’s throat. “I would have sent you in two pieces, rather than sixteen, if you had surrendered. This is your defeat. I’ll give you one more chance.”

Wen Xu grins a bloody smile. “Go to hell,” he replies, and strikes.

Nobody saw it coming. Nobody but Wei Wuxian. He had been watching Wen Xu closely, because he recognized the subtle way Wen Xu shifts. It’s the motion someone makes to take something they’ve hidden on their lower body parts, mostly their legs. When Wen Xu shifted his weight a little and tucked his hand between his calf and thigh, Wei Wuxian’s legs had moved before his mouth.

“Sect Leader Nie!”

For a moment, he does not register the pain even as blood trickles down his face. He’d pushed Nie Mingjue and barely dodged the knife that had been aimed at the man’s jugular. It still nicked his face, however, right above his cheekbone.

Nie Zonghui moves swiftly to subdue Wen Xu as Nie Mingjue grabs Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. “What are you doing?!” he screams to his face.

His face is starting to sting and Nie Mingjue’s screaming is not helping. “Saving you,” he replies snappishly. Nie Mingjue keeps treating him like a child. Or an idiot. The line is very thin there.

“Fuck you Nie Mingjue! I’ll see you in hell!” Wen Xu screams on his knees as he struggles against the restrain Nie Zonghui has him under.

The Sect Leader turns to the screaming man. He releases Wei Wuxian and approaches Wen Xu. Wordlessly, with one strike, he separates the man’s head from his body. Blood sprays everywhere. Some even lands on Wei Wuxian’s robes. Gross.

There is no victory cheer. The moment the deed is done, Nie Mingjue turns back to Wei Wuxian and says, with all the unearned ire in the world, "You."

Chapter Text

Fanfan is a humble chamber maid of the Nie household. For generations, her family has loyally and faithfully served the Nie family. Her parents said their ancestors were the first servants of the household, all the way back to when the first Nie-zongzhu established his clan. Fanfan believes that as much as she believes in astrology - which is to say, not at all. But it makes a nice conversation starter with anyone new in the household. Establishing dominance and superiority, so to say. Fanfan’s mother is the head servant of the household, not her, so she’s left to fend for herself whenever someone wants to bully her for being sixteen and a girl. The point is: being a trusted servant in a household as secretive as the Nie makes her a secret keeper of too many great things.

Like right now.

Who in the Unclean Realm is unaware of their Zongzhu’s recent infatuation with his betrothed? Fanfan is a witness to Nie-zongzhu carefully selected each and every one of the courting gifts. The Nie clan vault was opened for the first time since Nie-zongzhu’s ascension a few weeks ago for the very purpose. Fanfan, being the helpless gossip she is, told her friends in confidence of how Nie-zongzhu took great pains to browse through the enormous collection of sacred texts and books for the esteemed Wei-gongzi.

(Naturally, words of the entire affair made its way throughout all of the Unclean Realm.)

Nie-zongzhu’s infatuation is a source of great interest for the people because at his age, he is woefully uninterested in romance. Many a sect leader, noble, and even royal of dubious descent has offered themselves or their children for the Zongzhu to take as either a lawfully wedded wife or a concubine. None made their way to the Zongzhu’s bed. Not even for a night. For a long while, it had seemed like their young Zongzhu was determined to live like a monk.

Then came the news that their Zongzhu had left to ask for Wei Wuxian’s hand.

The day Zongzhu left, the entire sect was quietly brewing in an uproar. Of course. Why wouldn’t they when they finally have a candidate for the notoriously vied for position of the Nie-furen? Although, it seems like they will have a fujun instead. Fanfan hadn’t cared much. Until Zongzhu returned and immediately asked for a servant to attend to him as he spent an entire day slaving away in the vault that holds priceless items and heirlooms of the Nie clan.

It had seemed like Nie-zongzhu cared for the boy’s regards above all else. There was care in his efforts. Thoughtfulness in his pursuit. Such honesty. Fanfan had thought: maybe Nie-zongzhu is truly in love, and gleefully shared the process of realization with her fellow chamber maids.

She had thought their love would bloom beautifully. That Wei-gongzi would come to care for Nie-zongzhu in return. Their brief encounter in the main courtyard cemented such hopes.

Now, there is only uneasiness as she watches Nie-zongzhu all but drag Wei-gongzi into his rooms. The air about them is heavy with tension. Fanfan had just exited the Zongzhu’s chamber to deliver the asked for jug of water, basin, and clean strips of cloths. The battle ended hours ago but despite that, Nie-zongzhu still looks as if he hasn’t even stopped to wipe his face clean of blood and dirt. There is a bandage of cloth around Wei-gongzi’s instead.

Of course everyone has heard of how Wei-gongzi ran into the battlefield to follow Nie-zongzhu even though he did not have his spiritual sword. Everyone has also heard of how Wen Xu used a cowardly trick, almost killing Nie-zongzhu had it not been for Wei-gongzi taking the knife for him instead. How Nie-zongzhu beheaded the man for the offense without a word.

Fanfan is a keeper of secrets. It’s just up to her discretion to decide which one is worth keeping. And this one seems like it should never leave the Zongzhu’s chamber. She closes the door behind them and stands guard by the hallway. 

She will be the next head of servants in the household. It’s her duty to protect the household’s reputation and harmony, her mother taught her. Nie-zongzhu’s courting story should never be tainted with whispers of violence between him and his intended. It must stay a pretty tale.

Jiang Cheng is going to kill his brother.

One of these days, Wei Wuxian’s recklessness will lead him to a point of no return. Jiang Cheng just doesn’t know where the limit is; because knowing Wei Wuxian, only death will stop him from acting like he’s above all mortal limitations and perils. When he jumped from that battlement, Jiang Cheng was gripped with a sudden dread he’d just watched his brother literally jumped into his death.

Wei Wuxian being Wei Wuxian, he easily breezed through the literal battlefield with a borrowed sword to reach Nie Mingjue. More than one Nie cultivator on the battlement who saw that lost their shit. He lost sight of them after that.

The next time he sees Wei Wuxian, his shixiong has a gush of blood running through his left cheek and an expression like he got caught doing something he should not. Nie Mingjue is by his side gripping his arm tightly as one would a particularly jumpy child. They have just entered the courtyard where the wounded are being tended to. Jiang Cheng himself has a gash on his left arm that is currently being bandaged.

“Jiang-gongzi,” Nie Mingjue greets gruffly. He pushes Wei Wuxian down beside Jiang Cheng on the bench and flags a servant to tend to his betrothed.

Betrothed. It’s still so weird to think that his brother is now a betrothed man. He’d grown up knowing his sister is engaged to that Jin Zixuan. Wei Wuxian went from his carefree shixiong one day to a man who will quite possibly rule the Qinghe Nie Sect together with Chifeng-zun the next.

Of course, If Wei Wuxian has not forgotten his promise, that will never come to life. But he’s not so sure about this. Chifeng-zun seems quite intent to woo his shixiong to his side even if Wei Wuxian has said that this engagement will never end in marriage. Jiang Cheng thought he’d seen through Sect Leader Nie when he came to Lotus Pier to buy Wei Wuxian. Now his thoughts are divided. Especially with the way the man watches his shixiong being tended to.

“Your assistance is greatly appreciated, Jiang-gongzi,” Nie Mingjue suddenly addresses him.

Jiang Cheng rolls his arm and softly thanks the servant before replying, “I did what any man would have, Sect Leader Nie.”

The man nods. He pushes Baxia upright to lean his hands on the hilt and heaves a great sigh. Wei Wuxian is uncharacteristically quiet as he pretends neither of them exists, choosing to instead zone away as the servant start bandaging his wound after cleaning and putting poultices on it.

“I will send a letter to your father to let them know of the current situation,” Nie Mingjue says. “There is much to be discussed. Speaking of, I must take my leave to take care of things. Can I trust you to stay where you are?”

He directed the last question to Wei Wuxian, whose eyes dart away as he nods. Jiang Cheng’s eyes narrow in suspicion.

After Chifeng-zun leaves, he pounces. “You idiot ,” he hisses, with feelings. “What were you thinking? This is not Lotus Pier where you are free to do whatever you want because you are the head disciple. You’re lucky nobody said anything.”

When Wei Wuxian does not immediately laugh his concern off, Jiang Cheng starts to worry. “Hey,” he calls with a hand to his brother’s shoulder. “What is it? Did anyone say anything?”

Wei Wuxian snorts softly, but still sounding derisive enough. “Someone had a lot to say, apparently.”

In all truthfulness, Nie Mingjue is one string away from snapping.

His entire plan regarding Wei Wuxian hinged on the fact that the boy is young and not yet the Yiling Patriarch. One still has a lot to lose, therefore quite predictable in that he still has to fit in the role his status and familial ties demand. The other is so unpredictable because he has quite literally nothing to lose left and therefore a wild card in all the sense of the word.

He should have known that streak of recklessness did not suddenly grow once he lost his golden core and gave it to his brother.

Who in their right mind would jump into a battlefield to follow a man he has no obligations to? Who in their sound, healthy mind would take a knife for said man for no other reason than he could?

Wei Wuxian, that’s who. Foolish, hard-headed boy. Nie Mingjue suddenly understands Jiang Wanyin a lot. Growing up with that sort of self-sacrificial trait in your brother must be an exercise in patience. A lot of patience.

It took a lot out of Nie Mingjue to not start dressing down the boy right in full view of his disciples and humiliate him. He reigned in his temper and stayed a while to bark out orders before dragging his stupid, idiot of a betrothed to be tended to. Wei Wuxian seems to understand Nie Mingjue’s fury comes from somewhere deeper than disobedience and stays placid.

The satisfaction of beheading Wen Xu for the second time was eclipsed by the uncomfortable realization that Wei Wuxian would have died for him had the knife been any lower. Or lose an eye at least. It does not matter. Wei Wuxian had just put himself in danger’s way for Nie Mingjue, is the irrefutable fact.

How is he supposed to keep this boy alive and well if he does this kind of thing? He has suffered enough in one lifetime. If Nie Mingjue, with all the knowledge he has, cannot give him the chance he deserves to grow and flourish, what is the point? He could deter Meng Yao from turning into the beast he was in the future-past, he could love and cherish Nie Huaisang more so he knows his dage loves him regardless, he could cut down Wen Ruohan and save everyone the pain of war. But what could he do in this journey in repentance if the person he, and so many others, had wronged so greatly dies an unfair death before he could atone?

It does not bear thinking. Wei Wuxian must stay alive no matter what.

If only the boy would stay still .

Having the boy in the Unclean Realm while the situation is precarious is a huge mistake that he never should have done. He sees that now. Something must be done to put the boy away from harm’s way so he will not be tempted to do whatever self-sacrificing bullshit he got into his head the moment he sees someone in slight distress.

“Sect Leader, we’re almost done here. Why don’t you take your rest?”

It’s almost dawn. Nie Mingjue left Wei Wuxian hours ago in the courtyard. Hopefully, he’s still there.

When he gets to the courtyard, the sight that greets him is peculiar. Wei Wuxian is running while carrying a bucket of water. He places the bucket beside one of their healers who immediately dunks a cloth in it to clean the patient that is laid out. Wei Wuxian straightens up and pants softly, putting his hands on his hips. His hair has been tied up into a loose bun, probably to help him work easier. Someone calls for more poultices, and off he goes.

“Dage!”

Nie Mingjue turns to his left and is immediately assaulted by Huaisang’s tight hug. He grunts and returns the hug with the same vigor. It’s a relief to see his brother unharmed, even though he knows with certainty the moment the first explosion erupted, Huaisang had been spirited into the deepest secret dungeon they have. He’d make sure to let Huaisang’s servants know their main priority is getting their master into safety, no matter what.

“Dage, you smell!” the silly boy whines, but he doesn’t step away even when they separate.

Nie Mingjue grunts even as his eyes find Wei Wuxian once again when he enters the courtyard with a jar in hand. Huaisang follows his line of sight.

“He hasn’t stopped working for hours,” his brother whispers, like it’s something scandalous. Wei Wuxian is talking and laughing with the servants and disciples. He looks right at home. “I don’t think most of the people here realize yet who he is. They probably think he’s a servant the way he’s running around like that.”

Of course that’s what happened. “Where is Jiang Wanyin?”

“He just left to send a letter to Lotus Pier. Don’t worry, he stayed until I got here to replace him keeping a watch over Wei-xiong!”

That’s not what he’s worried about, but the effort is appreciated.

It takes a while to catch Wei Wuxian alone. Nie Mingjue stays in the shadow, at the edge of the courtyard so he’s not in the way. When the work seems to be dwindling down and there are less people around, he approaches Wei Wuxian. The boy is softly talking with one of his injured men.

“Wei-gongzi,” he calls lowly when he’s close enough.

The boy’s head whips around, startled eyes meeting Nie Mingjue’s. The man he’s talking to is one of the younger ones. New too, evident by the way he looks at Nie Mingjue in awe. He has a thick bandage around his head and his nose looks like it’s broken.

“Are you done here?” he asks. 

Wei Wuxian’s eyebrows rise. “Were you waiting for me, Sect Leader Nie?”

“Our conversation isn’t done.”

Ah. Wei Wuxian’s face shutters down like he is remembering something particularly unpleasant. Maybe he is. He turns to the man who’s watching them with undisguised mounting horror. “Keep your leg up for a while. Don’t use it until your healer give you their leave. I have to go now. It was nice meeting you.” With those callous parting words, he stands up and follows Nie Mingjue.

The man sputters out incoherent words as he watches them walk away.

Nie Mingjue brings Wei Wuxian to his residence. The minute he crosses the courtyard, he sends a boy to convey his message to one of the chamber maids to bring things he’ll need to clean up. A bath too, maybe. The boy scurries off with a wide-eyed look at Wei Wuxian.

Speaking of.

“Are you going to come in?”

Wei Wuxian balks at the question. “Is this your personal courtyard?” he asks. He’s still standing just on the outer edge of the courtyard. 

Nie Mingjue frowns. “Yes, what about it?”

The boy looks at him thoughtfully. Whatever it is he finds on Nie Mingjue’s face, it makes him sigh. “Sect Leader Nie,” he starts. “I know I got ahead of myself back there in the battle. I promise I will never do that again and compromise your position.”

What in the world is he talking about? “It’s good that you know you did something wrong, but there is something we must discuss. We cannot do this in public.”

Wei Wuxian is beginning to look flustered. “Sect Leader Nie, you must be tired. Why don’t you rest for a while and call for me when you’re-”

Nie Mingjue loses his patience and grabs Wei Wuxian’s arm, dragging him into the house. When they get to his personal bedroom, there’s a wide eyed servant girl coming out. He enters and sees the things he requested laid out on his table. As the door closes behind them and the girl leaves without a word, Nie Mingjue makes sure to remember to ask for her again so he can reward her.

He lets go of Wei Wuxian’s hand and proceeds to undo his armor, laying them out on the table. Next are the outer robes. They’re beyond saving, so he leaves them on the floor. When he’s down to two layers, he shrugs off the top so he can clean his wounds first. They don’t need extensive care. Most of them will go away by tomorrow morning. He takes a cloth, dips it into the basin and runs it through his arm. He’s thoroughly clean every inch of his body that he can reach before he turns around to face his betrothed again.

The boy is still standing stiffly by the door, his eyes firmly on the ground and a flush on his face that reaches his neck.

“Sit down before you pass out,” Nie Mingjue orders, gesturing to the seat across the table.

Slowly, Wei Wuxian walks further into the room and sits down gingerly, like he’s ready to bolt out at any moment’s notice. Nie Mingjue studies his face as he cleans his hands. A few moments of terse silence pass before he opens his mouth.

“What you did out there was unnecessary.”

It’s too blunt, maybe. Wei Wuxian proved himself to be completely capable of taking down cultivators twice his age with naught but a common sword. He has clearly calculated the risks and weighed the situation before he jumped in. Doesn’t mean Nie Mingjue like what he did. Especially what he did at the end. Nie Mingjue would have dodged that safely. It’s not the first time Wen Xu, the pathetic worm, tried the trick with him. Wei Wuxian doesn’t know that, but it’s still a reckless as hell .

“Was I supposed to just stand by while someone is in danger?” Wei Wuxian snaps his head up, his words a few inches away from a snarl. “I’m not clear with what your opinion is about me, Sect Leader Nie, but I’m not someone who could do that.”

Nie Mingjue remembers the mistakes of his past in pain and guilt. Remembers the injustice the Wen remnants suffered because of both his actions and inaction. Remembers how it destroyed Wei Wuxian to be the last one standing between them and the world.

“My opinion of you is that you are selfless and you don’t know when to stop.” Remembers the desperation he had not seen for what it was that day on the Burial Mounds. Remembers a boy with a bright smile. “Wei Wuxian, the world is not for you to fix. You cannot give away every piece of yourself to make it whole again.”

The guilt he’d buried the day he decided he will atone crawls back out into every inch of his existence. He looks into Wei Wuxian’s wide eyes, wonders what it would take for this boy to not end up as miserable he did once upon a time.

“You saved me, it is a life-debt. But promise me you will never throw yourself away again.”

Silence settles between them. 

“I was not throwing myself away,” Wei Wuxian eventually says. “Anyone in my position would have done the same. He was coming at you while you were unprepared. This wound is a small price to pay for your life.”

“And I commend you for it,” Nie Mingjue allows. “But I cannot help but notice how readily you did it. I don’t pretend to understand you fully, Wei Wuxian, but I know enough that you weigh your value against other people’s and find yourself lacking.”

No evidence is more damning than the golden core transfer. He took the secret to his grave, all for the love of his brother.

Nie Mingjue is selfish in his request for Wei Wuxian to not throw himself away. Foolish too. It will take more than a promise for Wei Wuxian to learn how to ask for help instead of taking all the burdens by himself. So he promises in return, “If you ever find yourself at a crossroad, I will help you. I will always be your ally.”

He’d done wrong by this child. Had helped in bringing him to ruins. Atonement is but a respite. The Wei Wuxian he’d left in the future will always live with the consequences. No amount of priceless gifts disguised as courting gifts will make up for it.

Wei Wuxian’s face is conflicted. “Sect Leader Nie,” he begins softly. “I cannot change who I am. To help the helpless is the right thing to do. If I ever look away from someone in trouble, I will live with the guilt for the rest of my life. I cannot betray myself in that way.”

Maybe that’s how it will always be. Wei Wuxian, a walking martyr for the rest of his life. Nie Mingjue, helpless and destined to watch him fall for a second time.

“Then promise you will let me help,” Nie Mingjue insists. “No matter what difficult corner you find yourself in, promise you will turn to me when you feel like you have nobody left. I will never refuse you. I will give you a binding vow, if it’s what you want.”

“Sect Leader Nie.” Wei Wuxian stands up abruptly. He looks overwhelmed. “Please remember yourself. Do not concern yourself with the likes of me. I feel like you’re beginning to take this engagement too seriously. Once this war ends, we will have nothing left to do with each other. A binding vow is completely unnecessary.” He laughs, a bit hysteric. “It’s a madness.”

This foolish boy-

Nie Mingjue closes the distance between them and grasps Wei Wuxian’s arms. “Is it?” he snarls, shaking the stupid, stupid boy in his hold. Wei Wuxian looks startled. “Is it madness? Then so be it! If it’s madness to want to help you so you won’t get yourself killed, then so be it! Here and now, I will give you my binding vow.”

Before Wei Wuxian can stop him, Nie Mingjue utters the words.

Once the shackle settles bone deep inside Nie Mingjue, Wei Wuxian has never looked more terrified. He’s shaking in Nie Mingjue’s hold, helpless hands stretched out in futile effort to shut his mouth before the first word could be said.

“No,” Wei Wuxian whispers. Nie Mingjue lets him go, lets him stumble away in petrified horror. “What have you done?”

“Once, I let negligence killed an innocent. I will not let history repeat itself.”

Compromise will never work. It’s either do or don’t with Wei Wuxian. “You said once this engagement is broken we will have nothing left to do with each other,” he says, calm despite the raging storm inside him because he finally has what he wanted. “I’ve decided to not break the engagement until you do it yourself so I can continue to have something to do with you. At the end of this war, if you find it hard to stay with me, we will break it off, as promised.”

That, more than binding vow, seems to terrify Wei Wuxian.

“Why are you doing this?” he asks.

Nie Mingjue cannot answer him.

The delegations from the other sects start coming in the morning two days later for the war conference. Nie Mingjue does not bother to pretend his betrothed is not avoiding him for those two days after their intense exchange in his bedroom. Wei Wuxian makes it very obvious he needs time to process what happened. It makes for a few awkward conversations between him and his family about self-restraint and inappropriateness.

In hindsight, he should have known better than to drag Wei Wuxian into his private residence in broad daylight, right after the show in the middle of the battlefield. The rumor mill is going wild with Nie-zongzhu dragging his intended into his bedroom for a personal time, alone.

At least Jiang Wanyin is not glaring at him, which means Wei Wuxian has told him nothing untoward happened between them, which means the alliance with the Jiang Sect is still intact. That’s one thing to cross off his list.

He needs Wei Wuxian to talk to him again, preferably before the conference starts tonight. Wei Wuxian needs to get over the fact that he has someone in his corner this time no matter what. Nie Mingjue admits he came on too strong, but patience and slow have never been his forte. It’s obviously too much for the poor boy and Nie Mingjue respects his need for space but the urgency to show their unity is stronger than ever now. It will not do for the other sects to doubt them so early in the war. It makes for terrible moral.

Plus, he wants to rub it in Jin Guangshan’s face. The motherfucker.

If he orders his assassination again, Nie Mingjue will make sure to air out every filthy deed he has ever done. Huaisang was very thorough.

On second thought, he will not wait that long. Once this war is over, he will make sure to depose the bastard before he ever gets a chance to steal all the credits. He’s sure Huaisang will be very happy to help. 

And Wei Wuxian too, if he decides he still wants to be around after.

Which will be unlikely if Nie Mingjue doesn’t find him and talk to him. Right now.

“Wei-gongzi is in the library,” a harried servant tells him. Nie Mingjue starts walking in that direction without bothering to thank the servant he has ordered to find Wei Wuxian since this morning, his mind full of things he wants to say to his betrothed.

He should have known Wei Wuxian will be in the library. The boy is hidden between two of the last shelves. Scattered round him are scrolls and books of various discipline of studies. He’s always known Wei Wuxian is very intelligent, and it’s gratifying to see this very intelligent boy sprawled across the floor of his Qinghe Nie Sect Library for the pursuit of knowledge. It makes him think of all the great things Wei Wuxian invented that reconstructed the very foundation of how the cultivation world works, a system that has existed for centuries.

Seeing this sixteen year old sticking his tongue out as he doodles a childish depiction of Nie Mingjue on the priceless book of Qinghe Nie Sect, nobody would think they are looking at the man who will reinvent their world one day. Nie Mingjue, luckily, knows better.

“Wei-gongzi,” he calls.

The boy yelps, brush sailing past Nie Mingjue and books and scrolls falling into a mess when the boy jumps.

Grandmaster of demonic cultivation, indeed.

“I have come to talk to you,” he says, calmly.

W ei-xiong is like a woodland animal, Huaisang’s words come into mind. You have to ease him to your side. Make him think it’s his idea. Otherwise, he will react violently. Gentle, dage.

“I’m sorry for my conduct in our past conversation. I have showed a shameful part of myself. I did not mean to scare you away. I assure you, I have but the purest intent to protect and help you in any way I can.”

“Sect Leader Nie,” Wei Wuxian interrupts hastily, still sitting on the floor. “Why are you talking so formally?”

Nie Mingjue frowns and crosses his arms. Wei Wuxian’s eyes follow the movement. Interesting. More importantly, “This is a formal apology. I have conducted myself shamefully, so I am here to make amends properly.”

“Apology accepted. Please talk to me normally,” Wei Wuxian says, a hint of pleading in his voice.

Well. That’s easier than expected. Nie Mingjue feels smug. “Now, will you allow us to talk like adults?”

Resignation hangs over the boy’s head as he waves to the floor on his left, an unspoken invitation to join him. Nie Mingjue sits beside him unhesitatingly.

“I’ve been thinking of what you said,” Wei Wuxian begins. “You said a lot of things, by the way. It took me a whole night to work everything out.”

“Fair,” Nie Mingjue grunts. It had been a very stressful morning for both of them. He lost a bit of his inhibition and said a lot of things. 

“I still don’t know what the fuck goes on. I’m hoping you can tell me but it seems like it won’t happen anytime soon so I,” Wei Wuxian pauses to take a deep breath, “I have decided to trust you, Sect Leader Nie. I trust in your character and in Nie-xiong, your brother. I trust that you know what you are doing, because breaking the binding vow will be a very hard work. I think I can do it, but it will probably take years. So here I am.”

Wei Wuxian is taking this like an adult. His respect goes up. It takes a lot to trust someone who swore loyalty to you for no apparent reason. Then again, Wei Wuxian is a great judge of character.

“I don’t know how to tell you, but trust me when I say we will need each other in the future. I trust you to trust me. Do not shut me out. If you try to run away and do things on your own, I will hunt you down myself. Mark my words.”

That inspires a reluctant grin from Wei Wuxian. “I guess you need to convince me that you are capable of helping me, if that’s the case.” Then, “What you said about the engagement…”

“I stand by my word. I do not have any prospects myself. And that will be unlikely to change for many years to come. I think a partnership with you will be a pleasant arrangement.” And with their sect history, he will likely make Wei Wuxian a young widow before long. They will depart in friendship and Wei Wuxian will still have the protection of the Nie Sect even after his death. He doesn’t think it’s the worst idea. When he dies, Wei Wuxian will still be a young man. He will find his happiness somewhere else.

Wei Wuxian smiles. “I will be honest with you, Sect Leader Nie. I’m fanciful. I entertain daydreams where I marry someone I love and we will live the rest of our married life blissfully in love. I’m aware I have a reputation, but I’m saving myself for my marriage bed. While I think you will make a good husband, I don’t think I can marry you for something as lackluster as ‘a pleasant arrangement’.”

Nie Mingjue frowns. He’s never contemplated the thoughts of married life. He knows his time will come long before anyone else his age, unless there’s some way to undo their sect’s cultivation technique. He’s never even thought of having a child as an heir. It’s always been Huaisang who will inherit the sect.

He thinks of living with Wei Wuxian as his loving husband. Thinks of a world where they do not have to fear untimely death to rip them apart before their time. Thinks of Wei Wuxian, lively and bright and so damn smart , against the backdrop of the Unclean Realm. Thinks of having Wei Wuxian there when he falls asleep and when he wakes up. Thinks of having a shoulder to lean against when he’s tired.

Warmth blooms in his chest, sudden and excruciating.

He can see it. He can see a world where he falls in love with Wei Wuxian. 

And it’s the most terrifying thing in the world.

Chapter Text

It bothers Nie Huaisang that he does not know what’s going on between his brother and his dearest friend. And being that he’s talking about two absolute blockheads, the biggest ones he knows, it’s not a very flattering look for him right now.

To his consolation, Jiang-xiong is in the same boat. Morning after the battle was especially weird. He had seen Wei-xiong stumbling out of dage’s courtyard, looking lost as a lamb. It took everything in Nie Huaisang to ignore the one thousand burning questions in his mind and stir Wei-xiong towards his temporary residence instead. Neither he nor Jiang Cheng saw it fit to ask Wei Wuxian what he discussed with his brother, all alone.

And then the avoidance began. Wei-xiong spent a significant amount of time leading up to the war conference in the library. More than once, his brother asked him if he knows where his betrothed was, and had it not been for Wei-xiong’s steely voice when he told Nie Huaisang to not tell anyone where he was, Nie Huaisang would have spilled everything to dage.

The rumors are not helping. They did not paint an especially flattering picture of dage. Even the elders and some cousins and advisers thought there were some grains of truth in them, no matter how honorable his brother has been his entire life. He cannot blame them entirely. If he’s not aware of what goes on behind the walls, he would have thought the same. But he does know, and no matter how much he wants his brother and friend to cultivate a lasting relationship between them, Nie Huaisang knows Wei-xiong’s heart is not so easily swayed. 

“Have you talked it out with dage? The servants said you two spent some time in the library.”

Nie Huaisang hopes Wu Baiyi was there to chaperone. There’s enough scandal around them to last at least a decade. The man is nowhere to be seen. He holds in a sigh at the lack of responsibility. He might need to have a talk with him. It would not do for dage’s courtship to start so rough. 

Wei-xiong looks especially dashing in the new robes dage gifted him. All black with subtle golden accents and stitches. Paired with the infamous black ribbon that costed a fortune, he makes an ominous sight. Nie Huaisang does not know why his brother keeps gifting Wei Wuxian such dark things. It makes a statement, sure, but he would have liked some colors. It’s already such a drab around here. What was the point of the golden hair crown if Wei-xiong will not flaunt it at every turn? It’s such a pity because Nie Huaisang chose that from the Nie treasury himself.

(When he showed it to dage as a suggestion for the fourth courting gift, he’d snorted and waved him away. Nie Huaisang had taken it for an approval. Maybe he should have made sure.)

Wei-xiong smiles. “We have reached an understanding.”

Whatever the fuck that means. Nie Huaisang would like to dig deeper, but they might risk running late if he does.

The banquet hall is already filled with people. Sect leaders and their representatives alike are milling around, mingling with each other. Wei-xiong slips in unnoticed and goes to his family’s side. Sect Leader Jiang came alone, as it seems, because he only has Jiang Cheng by his side.

He unfurls his fan and walks away from the hall. He’s done his part in making sure his future brother-in-law reaches the hall safely. Now, he has a certain man to hunt down to talk about responsibility.

Nie Mingjue does not let the life-changing realization to distract him from this evening’s event. There are things to be done, and realigning his world-view to fit Wei Wuxian in his future will have to wait.

He enters the hall with Nie Zonghui on his right and Nie Qixuan on his left. As he walks to his seat, he makes a quick sweep of the room. He sees Wei Wuxian has seated himself with the Yunmeng Jiang delegation, wearing the robes and ribbon he’d chosen for him. The quick smile his betrothed gives him make something grows warm in his chest. He quickly looks away after a nod. 

With disdain, he notes that Jin Guangshan is present. The man is leisurely fanning himself in his seat. He does not even have the courtesy to spare Nie Mingjue a glance. Rat.

Lan Xichen is a bright spot in the hall. He’s accompanied by his uncle, which spells good news for Gusu Lan. With an unnecessary flourish, Nie Mingjue sits down. Looking down at them, he wonders how many will die this time around.

“Honored cultivators, welcome to the Unclean Realm.”

And so, the war conference for the Sunshot Campaign starts once again.

He lets Lan Xichen do most of the talking. Most of the people here are already raring to fight in the war, with the exception of Jin Guangshan and the smaller sects that allied themselves with him. There isn’t much left to say, so he lets his attention stray to Wei Wuxian.

The boy is watching Lan Xichen with such focus, taking in every words and etching it into his body as he nods at every word. His posture is straight, complimented by the robes he’s wearing, and he has his white bow strapped to his back as a replacement of his Suibian. With every nod, the ribbon is visible by the way it catches light. Seeing him covered head to toe with Nie Mingjue’s gifts makes something come to life within him. He looks away under the intensity of such feelings.

Greedy. Greedy. Greedy .

Less than a day and he’s already coveting that which is never his to have. He cannot break Wei Wuxian’s heart. Taking him for himself will only lead to heartbreak when he inevitably has to pass on to the next life.

No, he cannot be greedy. Wei Wuxian deserves better.

Jin Guangshan has opened his dirty mouth. Nie Mingjue takes the opportunity presented to distract himself.

He slams his wine cup down and meets the eyes of the man who’s brought upon too many injustice in this world. “Sect Leader Jin,” he calls, the last shred of respect he will ever pay to this vermin. “You and your people are welcome to walk out of this hall anytime. We are not in the business of begging for allies.” With his knowledge, and the backing of the Yunmeng Jiang sect which had been lacking last time, he is certain this war will be over in less than a year. “You can stay in your golden palace, fuck your whores, and drink your wine while we bring Wen Ruohan to heel. And when we win, you and yours will be remembered as the cowards of this generation.”

He hopes the man walks away. It’s not like he made such a difference last time.  

Jin Guangshan grows red with fury. His face contorts into something ugly as he stands up. “Sect Leader Nie, I shall implore you to remember your manners to your seniors.”

The audacity. “War is upon our doorstep, Jin Guangshan. Will you or will you not fight?”

Lan Xichen has a pinched look on his face. Nie Mingjue wonders if he should have told his friend in advance that they will not lose anything if Jin Guangshan withdraws.

The man is not done yet. He smiles, wide and wicked. “I wonder where this arrogance come from, Nie Mingjue. Rumors have it that you’ve made yourself familiar with your betrothed. Tell me, did you find your it in his body? Did it make you feel like a man?”

Nie Mingjue pauses. There’s no way for such rumors to have spread so far within such limited time. He narrows his eyes at the man, who looks far too smug. Are there Jin rats in his household? A cleansing will have to be carried out, if that’s the case.

“Two days ago, my betrothed put his life on the line for me.” He does not look in the direction of Yunmeng Jiang, even if he can see Jiang Wanyin has stood up to defend his shixiong’s honor. “Later, I gave him my binding vow that no matter what happens, I will always be his biggest ally. Tell me, Sect Leader Jin, with your limited experience in respecting the honors of people and devoting your life to your lawfully wedded wife, how does that make me a deviant who would dishonor him and sully our engagement?”

Furious whispers fill the hall after the declaration. Xichen is looking at him like he cannot recognize him.

But Nie Mingjue only has eyes for Wei Wuxian, who looks like the moon and the stars have fallen into his lap, with the way his eyes twinkle so brightly.

“Impertinent!” Jin Guangshan declares furiously. He leaves his seat and goes to stand directly in the middle of the hall, giving Nie Mingjue a venomous look. “I see what you’re doing here, Nie Mingjue. You are fashioning yourself to be the one who will fill in Wen Ruohan’s empty seat. Allying yourself with the Yunmeng Jiang and the Gusu Lan sects, you are very clever indeed. But I have seen through you! And I will never debase myself to follow your schemes! Lanling Jin is not in favor of this war! We are leaving.”

Nie Mingjue gapes after the man as he exits the hall, followed by his people. How did he reach that conclusion? Is there something he is missing? Did he say something incriminating?

Lan Xichen coughs softly. “If there’s anyone who wants to follow Sect Leader Jin,” he says, and since when did his friend grow so passive aggressive? “Now will be the time to leave,” and be known as cowards, left unsaid.

Jiang Fengmian smiles serenely as sips his tea, the only noise in the dead silent hall.

Wei Wuxian stretches as he breathes in the evening air. He’s left the hall as soon as the banquet starts to take a walk. He’s in one of the few gardens in the Unclean Realm, which Nie Huaisang pointed out yesterday. Calling it a garden is generous, however, but he is not about to contemplate the condition of it when he has much to think about.

Specifically, Nie Mingjue.

Heavens, does he have a lot to think about that man.

First, the uncalled for berating. Then, the binding vow, which will destroy his life as a cultivator if he ever breaks it. Then, that thing he did in the hall.

Yeah, that thing. Where he basically declared that his loyalty now lies with Wei Wuxian as he casually destroyed Jin Guangshan. Not Yunmeng Jiang. Not Uncle Jiang. But him. Lil’ old Xianxian.

He crouches down and screams voicelessly into his palms.

What a man! What a man! So handsome! So righteous! Sect Leader Nie, you are like a gallant hero in story books!

And he’s all Wei Wuxian’s, for now.

That’s a terrifying thought. He thinks back to that moment in the bedroom, when Nie Mingjue locked him in place and looked him in the eye as words imbued in spiritual energy flowed from his mouth. Declaring that he is Wei Wuxian’s ally in any circumstances.

Ally. That had sounded like a curse. Now, it gives him a vague feeling of reassurance.

Of course, it’s still a mystery why Nie Mingjue thinks him worthy, but he’s told himself he’d grit his teeth and bear with it. He’d started on his study in the library to break the binding vow. When he’s all ready, Nie Mingjue will probably never need to know that there’s no longer such a vow tying him to Wei Wuxian. Easy.

Then there’s the change of mind. He’d said he will marry him unless Wei Wuxian breaks off the engagement. A pleasant arrangement. Truthfully, it had stung to be thought of as nothing more than a furniture to rest upon at the end of the day. When he told the man of his dream to marry someone he loves, he fell quiet.

He snorts softly. Of course he would never think he could love Wei Wuxian for real. If he had, he would have offered to court him in earnest at that moment. Instead, he’d let the conversation died there.

You really can’t have everything.

“Wei Ying.”

He turns around, still crouching, eyes searching wildly for the owner of the voice who’d called him. There’s only one person in the world who calls him that.

And there he is, dressed in mourning white, headband perfectly placed upon his forehead, and golden eyes that call to his attention, standing at the entrance to the garden.

“Lan Zhan,” he calls, shamefully out of breathe. They haven’t seen each other since the disaster with the Xuanwu. He did not even get to say goodbye and thank you to Lan Zhan before he set off for Gusu Lan. His friend looks like he’s grown thinner. A slight darkness under his eyes, blemishing his perfect white skin. He also looks taller, which is totally unfair.

He brushes off his robes as Lan Zhan approaches him. When he’s standing in front of him, Wei Wuxian feels himself flush.

He has not forgotten what Nie Huaisang told him. No matter how far far-fetched it sounds.

“I did not see you at the banquet,” he says.

Lan Zhan stays quiet. Unnervingly so.

Wei Wuxian cannot look him in the eye. “I see your leg’s all healed now. No nasty surprises in store, hopefully.”

Lan Zhan is still quiet. It’s not the quiet he’s grown used to from Lan Zhan, when he knows his friend is still listening to him even if he has his face buried in books. This silence is heavy with words unsaid.

He screws his eyes shut. Heart beating like it’s on a race. The longer Lan Zhan stays quiet, the more he thinks of Nie Huaisang’s words. There’s no way any of that was true. Lan Zhan barely tolerated his touch back at the cave. It must have been a misunderstanding.

“Wei Ying…”

He cannot take it anymore. He takes a step back and turns his back on Lan Zhan. “Did you hear? I’m now betrothed to Sect Leader Nie. Absurd, right?”

A pause. Then, “Mn. Heard it from brother. Heard it was for the alliance.”

Of course. Sect Leader Nie and Zewu-jun are like brothers. “Sect Leader Nie said I can break the engagement if I want after the war is won.”

A sharp gasp. A hand grasps his arm gently to make him look at Lan Zhan’s bright, bright eyes. “Wei Ying,” he says, a note of longing so clear in the way he says Wei Wuxian’s name.

“Lan Zhan?” he asks.

He thinks he has seen this Lan Zhan twice in his life. Once, when he opened his bleeding heart for Wei Wuxian in the cave. Now, as he wordlessly holds onto him with the sort of desperation nobody will ever think he’s capable of.

“Wei Ying,” he calls, quiet. His hand retreats, only for it to rest upon Wei Wuxian’s wrist. He’s not holding it, but touching it gently, as if unsure of its welcome. “Does that mean Wei Ying does not have feelings for Sect Leader Nie?”

He has a lot of feelings about that man. Most chiefly, about his determination to keep Wei Wuxian alive. But, “If you’re asking if I have feelings for him as a man, then no, I don’t think so.” No matter how attracted he’s aware he is to Nie Mingjue’s physique, romantic feelings are still out of the question.

Even if his touch burns and his eyes makes his knees weak. Even if his words settle something inside him that he was afraid to acknowledge. He cannot fall in love with someone who is set to never love him back.

Lan Zhan shifts closer. “Wei Ying,” he calls, and kisses him.

Even if he’d seen it coming, Wei Wuxian still gasps. Lan Zhan’s lips are unbearably soft. Perfect, just like the rest of him. It ends too quickly, but Lan Zhan stays close. He closes his eyes, too aware of the heat emanating from the boy and the way his hand is still on his wrist. Aware of how this would look like if anyone stumble upon them. 

“My feelings for Wei Ying have not changed,” Lan Zhan whispers, leaving devastation in Wei Wuxian’s heart. “If Wei Ying can find it in himself to consider me, I can wait until the engagement is broken before I present my own suit to Sect Leader Jiang.”

“I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian answers truthfully. Something in his throat grows tight. His heart hurting over the confession that seems all too impossible. “Lan Zhan, I don’t know.”

“Can wait,” Lan Zhan says softly. “Will wait however long for Wei Ying. Forever. Every day.”

Does he love Lan Zhan? He doesn’t know. It’s all so complicated. A phantom of another touch reminds him of who he is. Who he must remember.

“Ask me again once this war is over,” he decides. He will have an answer by then.

Nie Mingjue does not think himself as someone impulsive, but as he walks away from the garden, he thinks he may have to break something.

That was not what he’d expected when he went to find Wei Wuxian. The tender touch, intimately calling one another with their birth names, the kiss .

He stops in his track, mind whirling as he tries to fit what he’d just seen with what he knows about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the future-past.

Was that what was going on the entire time? It must be, there isn’t much difference in events between the Xuanwu cave and today if compared to the future past. Nothing much changed, except Nie Mingjue.

Too many questions. And he has nobody to ask because he’s the only one who knows what their future holds.

If their relationship has gone this far in the future-past at this point in time, why the years long antagonism? Why did Lan Wangji never defend Wei Wuxian? How was it that their relationship remained unchanged once Wei Wuxian was resurrected? Why did Huaisang never indicate any of this in any of his plans, not even as a footnote?

Or… did Lan Wangji move this time because he thinks he will finally lose Wei Wuxian to someone else? What about the years Wei Wuxian suffered all alone, with nobody by his side? Was that not a strong enough motivation to leave everything behind?

And the way he’d daringly touch Wei Wuxian-

“Mingjue-xiong, is everything alright?”

He hadn’t noticed when he’d resumed his steps, but he’s reached the hall and Lan Xichen is waiting by the entrance. His friend approaches rapidly, taking in Nie Mingjue’s thunderous face with apprehension. Before he could ask again, Nie Mingjue asks his own question.

“How long has your brother been in love with Wei Wuxian?”

That catches Lan Xichen off guard. His mouth falls open and his eyes set upon Nie Mingjue in shock. “How did you know?” he asks.

“They’re in the garden. Lan Wangji has proclaimed that he will present his suit as soon as Wei Wuxian breaks off our engagement, after kissing him.”

His friend inhales deeply, a furrow on his brow that spells something like disappointment. “More than a year,” he answers. “Since they first met in Cloud Recesses last year.”

Far longer than he’d thought. 

“Mingjue-xiong,” Lan Xichen says hastily when he sees how the answer darkens Nie Mingjue’s face. “Do not be angry with Wangji. He is young and in love. What they did was reckless, but Wangji does not mean any disrespect. When he heard that Young Master Wei is engaged to you, uncle said it seemed like he’d lost his spirit. This is the first time they see each other since then.”

“And Wei Wuxian? Does Wei Wuxian love him in return?” 

“I don’t know if Young Master returns his feelings, but I do know he cares for him, to some extent.”

Nie Mingjue knows he has no rights to be this angry. He’s promised Wei Wuxian that the engagement will end with his term, so why did the sight of him in another’s embrace trouble him so much? “Is that why you were troubled by our engagement? You didn’t tell me when I asked.”

His friend looks regretful. “It was not my place to speak for my brother.”

A short silence. “I will talk to Wangji,” he implores. “He must conduct himself around Young Master Wei carefully so he will not shame you or your house. ”

Nie Mingjue couldn’t care less about the reputation of his house. “I care for Wei Wuxian,” he confesses. “Enough for me to consider this engagement as more than an alliance.”

Lan Xichen looks surprised. “Is that why you gave him a binding vow?”

“You do not see how careless he is with his life,” Nie Mingjue snarls. “He’s selfless, stupidly so. He does not know how to ask for help. If he could, he would shoulder all the burdens in the world if it would make it right for some people again. I don’t know what happened to him to weigh his life as less than what it’s worth, but the binding vow was the only way for him to consider asking for help. And he would only do so because he risks my safety if he does not let me help.”

His friend is silent for a moment. “Do you love him?” he asks, cautious.

Nie Mingjue wonders if this would break the bond they have. “I could,” he answers. “He makes it easy.” Another confession.

Lan Xichen’s face grows troubled. They stew in silence until a heart-stopping voice calls out.

“Sect Leader Nie?”

Nie Mingjue turns around to see his betrothed approaching them. Behind him, Lan Wangji follows. The urge to break something returns, only somewhat mollified when he remembers what Wei Wuxian is wearing. Impulsively, he reaches for Wei Wuxian’s shoulder once he’s within reach.

“I was going to look for you,” he lies. Lan Xichen shoots him a surprised look.

“You were?” Wei Wuxian questions. His eyes wide and beguiling.

Nie Mingjue nods. “The banquet must be closed by the host. Will you do me the honor of standing by my side?” He offers his hand for Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji a quick look. Slowly, excruciatingly, he accepts Nie Mingjue’s hand, and lets himself be led into the banquet hall. Nie Mingjue resists the urge to look back. Instead, he savors the feeling of the hand in his. He’s touched this hand before multiple times. Each time with a purpose. Now, he’s doing it for himself, and he might never let go again.

The guests stand up upon their entrance. Their eyes bright and face red with intoxication.

Nie Mingjue leads his betrothed to the end of the room, never letting his hand go even as they reach his dais. “Honored cultivators!” he calls, raising his cup of wine. With a subtle nudge, Wei Wuxian does the same, even as he’s confused. “It is to my regrets that no banquet was held in celebration of my betrothal to Wei Wuxian, Head Disciple of Yunmeng Jiang. Let me take this opportunity to toast to us!”

The inebriated cultivators cheer raucously as they raise their own cups.

He looks at his betrothed as he drinks his wine. Wei Wuxian stands there, stupefied. With the noise around them, it is too easy for Nie Mingjue’s words to be lost, only to be heard by him.

“I have a few years to live,” he confesses. The cup slips from Wei Wuxian’s hand as he stares at Nie Mingjue. He continues, “The core cultivation of our sect is a terrible secret that has killed many of our predecessors. In a few years, I will die of qi deviation, like my fathers before me. I’m telling you this because I have found myself to be growing fond of you, and should I pursue it, I know I will come to love you. Even now, I can’t help but think how lovely you look in my gifts. I was not going to say anything, but I don’t want to take away the choice from you.”

“What do you want me to say?” Wei Wuxian asks, a touch desperate.

“Let me court you,” Nie Mingjue calmly says. “I don’t wish to leave this world without ever knowing what could have been. Of course, I might make you a widower before long. So it’s up to you if you think it’s worth it.”

Wei Wuxian looks away. Stares at something at the other end of the hall. 

“Foolish, the both of you,” he hisses, something steely in his voice as he turns away from Lan Wangji’s burning gaze to meet Nie Mingjue’s awaiting one. “You will not die,” he vows. His hand tightens around Nie Mingjue’s. “I will look into this. You might not know this, but I’m something of a genius. I have never met a talisman that I can’t break with a bit of work. Your problem might be bigger than a simple barrier talisman, but I’m sure I can find a way.”

Nie Mingjue’s heart foolishly starts to race.

“We will stay engaged even if I can’t accept your offer of courtship right now,” Wei Wuxian continues. “Give me a year at most after the war ends. If I can’t find a way until then, you can start courting me. This engagement will still end once the war is over, however.”

It’s more than Nie Mingjue ever dares to hope for. “What about Lan Wangji?”

His betrothed blanches. “You were there?” he doesn’t sound angry, only a bit incredulous. “I’m not sure how I will explain to him that I’ve extended the date, but he can start courting me at the same time you do.” He snorts. “It’ll only be fair that way.”

Nie Mingjue grips the hand in his once, a reassurance. “And if we manage to break this terrible curse before then?”

Wei Wuxian looks long-suffering. “Don’t think that will give you an advantage, Nie Mingjue. I intend to make you and Lan Zhan work for it. It will be the longest courtship in the world. Did I ever tell you that I will never get married before Jiang Cheng? And I love my shidi, but look me in the eye and tell me he will get married before we reach thirty.”

He has seen Wei Wuxian broke and remade the world. The moment he utters the words that promised his survival, Nie Mingjue knows without a single doubt. He knows he will live to see the sunrise twenty years from now. He knows he will live to see Wei Wuxian reaching thirty and hopefully accepting his marriage proposal. He knows he will live long enough and be privileged to have known Wei Wuxian, twice lifetime over. 

“When this banquet is over,” he says, “I have something crazy to tell you.”