Chapter Thirty

They bought horses but on the Qiongqi Path, they decided to split from there. Wen Qing and Wen Ning will go further and the Yinling mountains and Wei Wuxian would go back to the village to get Jiang Cheng. As promised by the end of the week Wei Wuxian was back and was met with Lan Wangji who was attending the garden again, though he seemed to be growing tired, even his protean white robes that he's been keeping clean as possible seemed to be getting wrinkly.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian called for him as he was coming up the path leading to the cottage. Lan Wangji wipes his hands on a cloth while standing up. He bows to Wei Wuxian as a greeting and Wei Wuxian laughs, taking a hold of his arms and straightening him up again. "There is no need for formal greeting Lan Zhan, I'm just glad to be back, but why do you seem so tired? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"The Lanling Jin Sect." Lan Wanji says, "Day after Wei Ying left with the Wen's they came and saw that the village was Wen territory and burned it all down."

Shocked about this, Wei Wuxian asks, "Do you know who was leading them?"

"Jin Zixun, Jin heir's cousin."

Growing angry at the news, Wei Wuxian takes a deep breath reminding himself that he got all of the Wen's out, Men, Women, and children, even all the elders. They were all safe, in the burial grounds. "Did you try to stop them?"

Lan Wangji's mouth opens for a moment, before closing it and looking down to the ground. It was more than enough to know the answer.

"You didn't?" Lan Wangji looks ashamed, "If not stopping them isn't why you're so tired then why?"

"Worried." Lan Wangji answers.

Shaking his head Wei Wuxian gives him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry they're all safe."

'Where?"

Turning to go into the house, Wei Wuxian says, "Not telling you."

Once inside Wei Wuxian greets the Jiang sibling and is surprised to find Jiang Cheng out of bed and doing the chores that Wei Wuxian normally would do. That night Wei Wuxian enjoyed a meal with Jiang siblings and Lan Wangji at the table that Jaing Cheng finished.

Though when morning came Wei Wuxian had to send Jiang Yanli into a deep sleep because both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian agreed she would want to follow them if she was awake. Packing up the carriage again and placing the sleeping Jiang Yanli in the back covered in pellets and blankets, Wei Wuxian felt that Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli were set to travel to Qinghe Nie from here, believing that it would be the safest place for now.

"Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian yells at Lan Wangji who was making sure that the horse was set. Lan Wagji turns around in time to catch a pouch of gold and coin in his hand. "Make sure you are taking care of yourselves.

Lan Wangji opens his mouth wanting to say something more to Wei Wuxian but instead, all that came out was an, "Mn."

The four of them went their separate ways and Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng took off farther up the mountains by horse, but it soon became too steep for the houses. Wei Wuxian tied the horse to a tree by a small river, making sure it had water and food.

On foot, Wei Wuxian led Jiang Cheng further up before coming to a stop in front of a boulder. Wei Wuxian took off the clothes that tied down his sleeve on his right arm and tied it around his eyes and handed Jiang Cheng a branch. "Remember to never remove your blindfold and keep telling him that Wei Wuxian sent you."

Jiang Cheng nods and takes a hold of Wei Wuxian's arm before saying, "Will you be here once I come back?"

"Yes of course."

Nodding Jiang Cheng lets him go and makes his way up the mountain, and Wei Wuxian made quick work of changing his robes and placing a hat with a veil to cover his face, before taking off the sky to meet up with the Wen sibling by an old tree that stood alone on the mountain.

Once there Wen Qing and Wen Ning bow to Wei Wuxian, saying, "Master Wei." which is a lot better than being called a God in his book so he let it be. By Twilight Jiang Cheng came into view and Wei Wuxian holds out his hand and Wen Ning hands him his sword which Wei Wuxian takes and unsheaths it pointing the blade under Jiang Cheng's neck, knowing that the boy knows that sound and stops immediately before feeling the coolness of the blade under his throat.

"Why have you come to my home, Young Master of Jiang Sect." Wei Wuxian asks in a deep dark voice.

"I met your disciple, Wei Wuxian, and I lost my golden core. He said that the Great Yiling Patriarch could restore it for me." Jiang Cheng says but Wei Wuxian could hear the fear in his voice.

"I can, but it doesn't mean that I would." Wei Wuxian claims. "You must understand, Young master of Jiang Sect, to have me to heal your core, it comes with a price. Everything comes with a price as does everything in this world."

"Whatever it is, I will pay for it!" Jiang Cheng says, "I will give anything for the chance to seek revenge on my Sect and parents."

"Even if I asked for it to be your sister's life?"

Jiang sneered, "YOU…"

"Be VERY careful of your temper Young Master of Jiang Sect!" Wei Wuxian raises his voice, "You might know of my disciple's tolerance of ill manors, will mine is FAR worse. I won't tolerate any ill temperament from you young man."

Jiang Cheng lowers his head, "I'm sorry GrandMaster Yiling Patriarch." He bows respectfully.

"The reason I asked this is because there should be a limit of what you are willing to give because for you to regain this core you must learn your limits and never promise more." Wei Wuxian says. "It will be a battle, not just the war, but within you. Be Careful or you'll lose yourself to the golden core."

With that Wei Wuxian whistles, a soft tone, and Jaing Cheng falls asleep and Wen Ning goes to catch him before he falls to the ground. "Are you sure about this Master Wei?"

"Don't worry about me Wen Ning, I already am aware of my limits, and I hope after this so will he." Wei Wuxian takes off the hate.

He turns to Wen Qing and nods who went to do her work and prepares him for the surgery. After an hour Jiang Cheng was open and ready to receive the golden core. Wen Qing looks up at Wei Wuxian who sighs. Raising his hand to his face Wei Wuxian blows onto the hand which turns it cold glowing with gold light before closing his eyes and plunging his hand into his chest, causing a sickening snap of bone and music.

The reason Wei Wuxian has to remove it himself is that there is no human tool that could pierce within the skin but he couldn't make himself bleed with effort, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt just as much as it would to any human. Pulling his hand out, Wei Wuxian presented a golden core that he made from within himself to give to Jiang Cheng. One by one Wei Wuxian rips the strings that attached him to the golden core free from within him feeling more and more energy disappear from within before the golden core was completely free and he places it into the hole in Jiang Cheng's chest watching it take effect and already starting to close him up all on its own.

Once Wei Wuxian saw that the core accepted Jiang Cheng he sighed a breath of relief but started to stagger on his feet. Wen Ning runs to Wei Wuxian and catches him and holds God on his lap on the grass. "I need to rest for a moment." Wei Wuxian declares before falling asleep.