Chapter Twenty-Eight

Wei Yingyue was in a constant state of worry as she looked after both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng was sleeping, Wen Qing's acupuncture needles in the nerves that kept him in a catatonic state. Wei Wuxian spent every waking moment reading medical books and texts, trying to find ways to help Jiang Cheng regain his Golden Core. Wei Yue brought him food and water, also treating the wounds he had neglected to acknowledge when they got to the Supervisory Office. Wen Qing and Wen Ning had brought almost an equal number of books to both of the twins, both of them spending most of their time trying to find a way to heal their brother.

"Yingying." Wei Yue turned and looked over, her eyes landing on her brother. She stood and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her lightly.

"Wei Ying, you've been in the study for three days." She whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she held him tightly. He nodded, his eyes running over her papers. She had piles of open books around her, all neatly stacked compared to how Wei Ying's desk looked. She had three stacks of notes, all written in a neat text except for a few smudges, caused by drops of moisture that had fallen onto the pages. "Wen Qing said you haven't been eating. Are you feeling okay?" Wei Ying smiled as she pulled away, grabbing her hand as she reached to feel his forehead.

"Yingying, I think I found a way to help him." He whispered, squeezing her hand as she froze.

"How?" At this question he let go of her hand, reaching into his robe to pull out a scroll. She took it, sitting down at her desk as she flattened it out. Her finger ran down the wooden scroll as she read, her eyebrows pulling together as she looked up at her brother. "Wei Ying, a Golden Core transplant is not always successful." Her voice came out in a whisper, watching as he nodded with a sad smile.

"But I am willing to risk it for Jiang Cheng." Wei Yue stood up, walking around to stand in front of her brother.

"You want to give him your Golden Core?" He gave a nod, watching as she frowned deeply. "Wei Wuxian, what if it doesn't work. What if both of you lose your Golden Cores?" Wei Yingyue grabbed his hand, her heart breaking at the thought of Wei Ying losing his core. She opened her mouth to say something when he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tightly as he began to talk.

"Yingying, please. Let me do this, trust me." Wei Yue frowned, her hands reaching around her brother to hug him as she looked over at Jiang Cheng. "Wei Yue, I want you to help me do the surgery." This made Wei Yue close her eyes, pursing her lips as she thought about what would need to be done.

"You're going to need to be awake the entire time, Wei Ying." She pulled away from him, looking into the eyes that were identical to her own as he nodded. Her brother smiled, cupping her face as he pouted.

"Will you help me?" He asked.

"I will, but only if Wen Qing helps." He gave a nod and turned, leaving his sister alone as he went to find Wen Qing. Wei Yingyue closed her eyes, shaking her head before she turned back to her desk to study the procedure.

Wei Yue walked beside Wen Ning, her arms crossed as she thought about what needed to be done. She whispered the entire procedure to herself almost the entire way up the mountain, Wen Ning listening to her closely as he carried the supplies the girls needed.

"Lady Wei, will this hurt Young Master Wei?" He asked, his wide eyes looking at her.

"Yes, Young Master Wen. This will hurt Wei Ying." She looked at him, her eyes tired due to the fear that was running through her body.

"Lady Wei, Young Master Wei is strong. He can handle anything." Wen Ning said, smiling as he tried to comfort the girl walking beside him. She looked forwards, giving a small nod before walking to the spot where the surgery was going to take place. When they reached the spot they saw Wen Qing, her figure moving fast as she got the area ready.

"You're here." She called, walking towards them as Wen Ning held out the bag he had been carrying.

"Jie, Lady Wei said these were the things you needed." Wen Ning said, smiling as he handed it to his sister. Wen Qing looked at Wei Yue and nodded, turning away as she walked towards two cleared spots on the ground, the spot where Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng would be for the next seven days. Wei Yue followed the girl and set down the basket that she was holding, kneeling as she began to set up the area.

"Why are you letting him do this?" Wen Qing asked her, the girl's gaze was not focused on Wei Yue as she prepared her area as well. "Why would you let him do this?" She finally looked up, gaze locked on Wei Yingyue as she finally stopped moving, fist clenched on her thighs.

"Lady Wen, Jiang Cheng will kill himself without cultivation." Wei Yue looked into her dark eyes. "He already is. He refuses to eat, drink, and he is only sleeping and calm because you have given him acupuncture." She continued, closing the basket before she looked over to see Wei Wuxian walking towards them.

"He's almost here." Wei Yue grabbed her brother's hand as Wen Qing put on a veiled hat, grabbing her sword before her and Wen Ning walked away. The twins watched them before Wei Ying turned, looking down at his sister as she held a grim expression. "Yingying, everything will be fine." He whispered, grabbing her shoulder lightly. She looked at him and nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist as she closed her eyes.

"I just hope you both will be okay." He rubbed her back before pulling away, kissing her forehead before laying down in front of her on the area she had set up for him. "I'm sorry that you need to stay awake." She pushed the black hair off Wei Ying's forehead, giving him a kiss on the brow before she began preparing.

After she finished prepping her brother, the Wen siblings returned, Wen Ning holding a sedated Jiang Cheng as Wen Qing placed down her sword and hat. She looked at the cultivator in front of Wei Yue and gave a nod before Wen Ning set down the sleeping man. Wen Qing and Wei Yingyue looked at each other and gave a nod before they began the procedure, both women hoping that there would be no complications.