Chapter Text
Nie Huaisang would’ve thought that being invited to Yunmeng by Jiang Cheng would result in both sitting on a boat, rowing through lakes filled with blooming lotus flowers, eating snacks, strolling through the markets and watching the sunset by the end of the day. Maybe talking about politics, maybe drinking a little. Maybe getting Jiang Cheng to smile his rare smiles, the kind of expression that made Huaisang’s heart ache with yearning and the desire to attempt the impossible, just for the selfish reason that was being in love with someone who didn’t love him back. Looking at him with his cryptic stares behind his fan, just to hide the sad attempt at being happy and cheerful as always so he wouldn’t know that, actually, Huaisang wanted to tuck one side of Jiang Cheng’s bangs behind his ear and watch him tenderly.
But no. Right after sending one of his men to put his luggage in this respective guest room, Jiang Cheng had called out to him at the entrance of Lotus Pier.
“We’re going to a forest somewhat near this place,” he had said, no options for debate allowed. And just as dumbfounded and weirded out as Huaisang was at the beginning, he had arrived at the place by boat, with Jiang Cheng who refused to explain anything more than his brief “you’ll see when we get there”. Huaisang had raised an eyebrow, whining about Jiang Cheng not being mysterious until now, to no avail.
But he had his reasons, and Huaisang saw them crystal clear when they stepped into the thick forest, and the summery, humid temperature immediately dropped to a cold breeze that shook the grass and the trees’ foliage. “Jiang-xiong…?” he halfway muttered.
Jiang Cheng didn’t even change his facial expression when he took out an umbrella from the boat and caught up to Huaisang, opening it so both of them could fit. “Neighbor sects asked me to investigate this forest,” he finally explained. Was it that hard to tell from the start? “They said that whenever they cross it, they end up on the verge of a Qi deviation.”
“Out of inner chaos?” Huaisang asked.
“No,” Jiang Cheng replied, looking at the forest in front of them. “Out of exhaustion and fatigue.”
And in that same moment, a low thunder could be heard and it immediately started raining.
Huaisang whined while puffing his cheeks at Jiang Cheng. “No fair! I finally get to come here after months of nonsensical political business, and instead of relaxing like the elites we are you bring me here to a sort of night hunt? That’s cruel, Jiang-xiong! You know I’m useless in these things! What kind of vacations are these? You cultivators are really something….” he mumbled in between pouts.
Jiang Cheng huffed as he looked at his friend. “Are you done? I brought you here for a reason. We need to move together.”
“Hah?” Huaisang wasn’t buying any of that, noticeable enough in his incredulous frown. “Excuse me, Jiang-xiong, but even I know that sharing an umbrella in such a forest could be scandalous, ” he dramatically teased, getting out of the umbrella’s shelter as he walked ahead. “Romantic attempt, yes, but a shitty context nonetheless…”
Jiang Cheng’s annoyed scowl turned into one of fear and exclaimed, “Huaisang! Don’t walk into the rain!”
“Better luck next time!” Huaisang replied back without turning around, and started to run into the forest. “Catch me if you so want to be with me!”
“Nie Huaisang!” Jiang Cheng shouted, pursuing him.
Seriously, what was so wrong about a suddenly rainy forest? Okay, the weather thing was weird, but Yunmeng had weather changes during summer, so what was the problem?
“Huaisang, get back under the umbrella!”
Maybe he just wanted to make mischief so Jiang Cheng would look at him with his genuine annoyance out of care, instead of the aloof stares he usually received? Maybe he just wanted to drown into the illusion of being genuinely loved?
The rain and the birds’ echoing chirps as he ran were sort of warning him about something. Although the water felt fresh on his skin, Huaisang realized that his eyes were closing against his will. It slowly became harder for him to keep them wide open, so he had to stop running and lean against one of the tall trees surrounding him. He felt funny, as if he was getting lighter and lighter yet heavier and heavier. If he were more awake, he’d joke about his unrequited love taking a toll on his poor maiden health, yet he knew that something was out of place. The rain didn’t seem to slow down and his vision was getting blurrier within each instant. Maybe Jiang Cheng was right. He shouldn’t have ran so carelessly into the rain, as his friend had an umbrella for a reason. His petty annoyance turned into regret as he fell onto the grass: his legs couldn’t support his weight anymore and his head felt too heavy.
The last things he heard before blacking out were the raindrops falling into the puddles, birds chirping happily and a rough, desperate voice, calling out his name.
When Huaisang regained consciousness, he let out a soft groan, and saw that as low the sound was it still made Jiang Cheng jump. His friend was dry, holding his wrist with two fingers of his free hand on it, trespassing spiritual energy as they both were sheltered from the rain in a cave. However, his friend’s concentrated stare turned into one of utter horror, and then pure anger.
“I can’t believe how stupid you are… I can’t believe how ridiculously stupid you are!” he sneered at Huaisang. “How could you have the audacity of not listening to me and risk your life like that?!”
Huaisang felt his head pounding. “Huh…?”
“The rain, dumbass, the rain! Don’t play dumb! You know you have a weaker core, why would you go into such danger voluntarily?!”
Huaisang wasn’t there for lectures. He tried to free his wrist from Jiang Cheng’s hold, only causing him to hold it with more strength to the point it hurt.
“Would you have the pleasure to stop causing me more trouble, Nie Huaisang?” Jiang Cheng asked, threateningly.
“I literally don’t know what you’re talking about,” murmured the mentioned one with a husky, tired out voice. He felt as if his own energy was drained, although Jiang Cheng’s energy was indeed helping him recover. “I just… ran off so we could play tag, but…”
“Ridiculous! How-”
“I started feeling dizzy, my eyes were closing by themselves and as the birds chirped, I fell unconscious. Maybe I ran too much…? I don’t know…”
Jiang Cheng seemed to finally realize that Huaisang genuinely didn’t know nor understand him at the entrance of the forest. He sighed with a noticeable hint of exasperation, “No, Huaisang. You were on the edge of suffering a Qi deviation,” he explained and didn’t wait for Huaisang’s shocked stare. “This rain isn’t like Yunmeng’s rain. That’s why cultivators asked me to investigate, but never without an umbrella. It’s a miracle that nobody who crossed this forest without one has died yet.”
Huaisang’s pulse rose, and Jiang Cheng held his wrist more delicately at this. It almost felt like a caress. “This is… a toxic rain of sorts?” he asked, not wanting to ponder much about his almost lethal situation. He sat up carefully, with Jiang Cheng’s help. “It could be poisoned with the trees’ sap.”
Jiang Cheng shook his head. “No. This isn’t caused by natural reasons. In this forest, it never stops raining. Never. And the trees are as healthy as any other Yunmeng-native tree. You heard the birds, right?”
“Yeah, they chirped as if nothing really happened, but… they cried out for me as if they were worried,” Huaisang whispered into the air. Jiang Cheng knew he could understand birds, so he didn’t comment on it. “Does this rain affect humans?”
“Only humans, as we can see,” Jiang Cheng concluded. “And now that you almost died, I can confirm that anyone with a minimal golden core will be affected by the rain, no matter if they trained it only for a short amount of time. This rain drains you from your spiritual powers for long as it stills on your body while falling from the sky, somehow. And as long as you develop a golden core, you’ll have it tied to your vital and spiritual meridians and you know this, so you also must know what that means.” He took a deep breath and exhaled, looking at Huaisang with a grim stare. Yeah, both of them knew this by textbook and experience definitions.
Huaisang broke a sigh, not wanting to dwell on older brothers just yet. “So… the umbrella had a reason.”
Jiang Cheng snorted. “Of course it had a reason. Everything I do has a reason.”
“Oh yeah, Sect Leader Jiang?” Huaisang teased. He earned himself a light elbowing near the ribs, courtesy of Jiang Cheng and his halfway smirk. But hey, his mood had improved!
“Thank you for saving me, Jiang-xiong,” Huaisang hummed, smiling at his friend while looking into his eyes. “I’m really sorry for not listening to you. I promise I won’t cause you any more trouble, and I promise I’ll do my best to collaborate with the investigation. Okay?” He mentioned, tilting his head and smiling a little more.
Jiang Cheng looked away and exhaled a tired huff as he stood up. Huaisang was back to normal, seemingly. “Just don’t make me worry like that ever again, you heard me?” He blurted out with a softer voice than the one he usually used. “You know I’ll take care of you so don’t you dare abuse that.” He helped his friend up, not looking at his face yet.
It was okay, though. Huaisang blushed furiously at those words and didn’t look at his face either. Who was he deceiving, though? He blushed at Jiang Cheng’s own straightforward way to tell him that he was scared shitless for his well-being, and that he’ll watch over that at least in this place. His voice, heavens above. His soft voice, that maybe he wasn’t intending to use in the first place. Ah, to be in love with his best friend.
He had to take his chances, so before they went out of the cave, under the wide, purple umbrella, he stuttered out, “can I hold your hand?”
Jiang Cheng froze on the spot. “Huh-”
Huaisang jumped. Fix it. Fix it. “I mean- I’m still kind of scared I’m not at my fullest just yet, and…” by gods, where was his fan when he needed it the most?! “and I want to stay linked to you if anything happens. D-don’t think I’d ask this to someone so randomly just because!” He defended himself.
“You used to drape yourself onto Zewu-jun and Liafang-zun’s arms every now and then, though,” Jiang Cheng reminded him as a matter of fact, raising an eyebrow.
Huaisang exhaled loudly. Was this man that oblivious? It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. “Jiang-xiooong…”
Jiang Cheng allowed himself to chuckle while shaking his head. “I’m not serious, you goof. Although it would be impossible to hold the umbrella for both of us if you hold my hand, so just hold my arm instead,” he instructed, eyes avoiding the shorter man beside him.
Huaisang got more than what he expected, and his heart skipped a beat because of that. “Sure!” He exclaimed a little too happy, but he didn’t care. And so, they resumed their walk in the rain, making sure none of them touched the mysterious raindrops by sticking close to each other’s arms and warmth.
If Huaisang weren’t aware of the spirit-draining rain, it would be an almost romantic walk in a magical forest in his eyes. Everything bloomed in such a delicate way, from gleaming flowers to luminous fungi that gave everything a touch of enchantment and otherworldly beauty. The birds chirping and flying over and around the pair were just as happy to receive them, as he had translated. He didn’t really know where they were going, so he just followed and trusted Jiang Cheng’s sense of orientation, all while holding his arm tightly and pointing at what he deemed interesting.
“Cultivators told me they sensed a strong presence at a clearing in the forest,” Jiang Cheng commented after a comfortably silent while. “This is most probably caused by a resentful soul, or a ghoul in the worst scenario.”
Even with Zidian, Sandu and a bunch of talismans in hand, Huaisang was a little restless. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle such a thing for yourself?”
“What, do you think I’m weak?”
“No, no, no! It’s just that… if that thing is able to create such a rain in all of this huge forest… it must be really powerful. It’s a simple warning of not getting into its domains.”
Huaisang looked around, finding some butterflies at his side. One of them flew onto the back of his hand, standing on his index and middle finger. He smiled widely at this. “But oh well, if such a thing can also maintain such beautiful creatures and plants alive, it cannot be that bad, right, little one?” He asked the butterfly with a cute voice. He also missed the way Jiang Cheng watched him during that exchange.
(I thought all of his innocence was gone since Guanyin temple. Guess I was wrong.)
By the time they reached another part of the forest, the beauty they were received in slowly started to change. As a start, Huaisang started noticing that there were chopped trees surrounding the area. Tall trunks were cut in half their tall height, or reduced to the classic stumps. Some of the cut-down cuts weren’t even clean cuts per se; it seemed like the trees had broken due to a seemingly enormous impact, as they were huge trees themselves that wouldn’t snap in half as easily as a branch would. As there was less foliage covering the sky, the space seemed to be wider. They also started realizing the plants weren’t as glamorous as the first places they walked by. Some of them had dark, thick leaves, like a nocturne variation of a Venus flytrap but way bigger and slightly more sinister.
Even if the scenario was getting more and more unsettling with each step they took, Jiang Cheng seemed dazed away. So Huaisang just asked, “a golden nugget for your thoughts?”
“People used to tell me about this part of the forest. If we were here without the umbrella, you probably would have died at this rate.”
Huaisang didn’t even take offense at that comment, because he knew he was right. “So? You’re worried for my less likely scenarios’ self, or…?”
“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng commanded in faux anger. “It’s just that… even though these halfway beasts get to grow, it seems that this creature must really hate cultivators. And maybe the plants, the closer they are to the root of the problem, the more they feed off this resentment. I don’t know if it’s the water at this point or just the energy that’s palpable from here,” He pondered, stopping his steps to take a look around. Huaisang nodded in understanding.
“Maybe there was a tragedy in here that caused a great amount of negative energy to explode, hence the stumps and messy groves,” he chirped in. “Maybe the spirit, when alive, was betrayed by their allies, getting to a fight that ended their life and made them a fierce corpse, or a straight up demon. Look, Jiang-xiong-” Huaisang pointed at some dead trees- “some of the trees are even lying down, with their roots and all. Something really big must have shaken this place.
Jiang Cheng smiled discreetly at that statement. Huaisang was really smart when the occasion was precise, and he knew he’d be helpful in this particular one. “Yeah, you might have a point in there.”
They looked around for a while, inspecting the tree remains. To Huaisang, they were a direct reflection of how the war and the recent events had left him. Broken, cut down, incomplete in some sort. There were parts of his life that were buried six feet underground, as well as parts of himself that wouldn’t see the light ever again. What if this forest was sunny during another time? A sunny, pleasant forest to walk through not with a rain umbrella, but with a parasol? Holding his spouse’s arm, smiling and holding butterflies onto his fingers? Would this place return to its happier times if they exorcised that evil presence?
Come think about that, there was something that didn’t fit Jiang Cheng’s story. He said the presence was evil, as he talked about a fierce, resentful soul. But all he felt in this place was yes, a strong energy, yet Huaisang wouldn’t classify it as “negative”. There wasn’t that feeling of being in danger, as risky as it was to stand in the rain. The sensation he got from it, was more similar to a heavy emotion, linked to despair, hopelessness and something akin to grief. Nothing related to fight or flight. Almost as if the forest itself regretted being damaged like that.
While caving into those thoughts, he heard a cry that broke his pensive illusion. It was a bird, and it was crying for help.
“Jiang-xiong, let’s move here.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a bird that needs aid,” Huaisang explained, pointing to his right. “It comes from here. Quick!”
Both men hurried under the umbrella, and when the chirps got louder, both of them gasped at the huge flytrap-ish plant that had the big, white bird trapped and tangled between its vines.
“Jiang-xiong, do you have any fire talismans?” Huaisang asked hurriedly.
Jiang Cheng seemed to wake up from his daze and nodded, taking some out of his robes. Huaisang released his friend’s arm, took the talismans and faced the plant with a fierce stare. Jiang Cheng hadn’t seen him so focused on something that wasn’t arts before, so he just stood there, a little dumbfounded, and spoke, “Do you need any assistance?”
Huaisang grabbed the umbrella. “Seek shelter,” he instructed, looking into his beloved’s grey eyes. “I’ll need to move swiftly and I need this.”
Said and done: Jiang Cheng ran into a big hole between tree roots, and watched with his mouth agape. Huaisang had activated the talismans, creating a circle of embers that joined into a big one. Careful yet fearless, the man burned the dark plants and watched them melt, with a disgusted expression on his face, as he avoided the waxy liquid from staining his robes. That didn’t slow him down, though, as he kept on melting these weird specimens talisman by talisman, vine by vine, not resting until the large bird was finally set free.
Once he succeeded, the bird (it really looked like a spiritual bird, let’s be honest) flew around Huaisang in long circles, as if it was thanking him for his help. Huaisang just stood under the umbrella, grinning in satisfaction as he outstretched his hand to pat the creature on the head. That gave him a boost of energy, as if the bird also had spiritual energy. That intrigued him, but the bird rose up into the sky, only to dive down again and chirp as it flew in a specific direction and stayed flying in circles through that. It seemed to be a cave, similar to the one they had stayed in due to his carelessness. He quickly noticed that the cave the bird was near to was in the same direction as the energy’s main root. Could that bird be showing them the way? Has he solved the puzzle?!
Immensely thankful, Huaisang laughed out loud and went back to fetch Jiang Cheng, only to find him with his mouth agape and red as a tomato.
“Jiang-xiong? Are you okay?” He asked, half happy and half worried.
Jiang Cheng blinked twice, jumped and frowned while looking down. “Yeah, sorry. Maybe it’s the cold.”
“I made a spiritual friend, Jiang-xiong! Did you see that?”
“Mm. I saw,” Jiang Cheng nodded, unable to hide the fondness in his tone. “However, this means that all the living creatures in here might have spiritual powers. Yet, why does the rain only affect us ?” He pondered.
“Well, my friend, I think my bird buddy and I solved the mystery!” Huaisang proudly exclaimed, hitting his own chest and puffing it out. “Let’s go!”
He sneakily slipped his arm around Jiang Cheng’s and held the umbrella, as both men went out for the bird.
Since it wasn’t that far, the bird happily tweeted at them when they got close, but didn’t really move. The entrance was blocked by rocks.
“How do we get in, then?” Jiang Cheng asked angrily, glaring at the bird. “Tell us!”
“Uh, Jiang-xiong, maybe we should look around. There’s a small steam entering the cave, and listen,” Huaisang whispered, pausing for a while before continuing, “the water sound inside the cave sounds hollow. There must be a lot of space, and if the water can come in without flooding the cave, it also can come out.”
Jiang Cheng couldn’t have been more grateful to have Nie Huaisang, the alleged Headshaker, by his side. “Makes sense,” he complimented in his own way. “Let’s walk around to see if we can sneak in.”
As they were looking for corners and traces of rifts that could be amplified to get in, Huaisang closed his eyes and let himself focus on the raindrops’ sounds as they fell into the puddling water. He got to hear hollow splashes as well. Opening his eyes and looking up, he saw the spiritual bird standing over the cave. There was also accumulated rainwater in the cave. There could be a hole!
“Jiang-xiong! We need Sandu to reach up there!”
Right as he told him this, Jiang Cheng unsheathed his sword and easily held Huaisang by his waist, both going up the cave (and Huaisang didn’t bother to listen to his erratic pulse). As they rose up, they could clearly see wide openings into the cave, although those were covered with dark plants. It was fine, however. They already knew how to get rid of those things, so they hopped down, held onto their umbrella, and took out more talismans.
Some plants burned and high falls later, Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang were inside the cave. It was indeed wide, and excepting the hole they jumped into, there were no big rainfall leaks, so they could wander around freely. Huaisang didn’t comment on the lack of warmth his arm felt as Jiang Cheng immediately freed himself from Huaisang’s grip and started exploring the place. Huaisang looked around, hopping on puddles as they didn’t suck his spiritual energy as the raindrops did, yet he could feel the presence closer and closer. As he headed for the seemingly original cave entrance, Huaisang saw a blue glint with the corner of his eye. He turned his head, only to jump at a crouching figure, presumably a female. A ghost?
He slowly walked at her, gesturing Jiang Cheng in silence for him to follow. When he was by his side, Huaisang reached out to the ghost.
“Uh, excuse me, lady… may we help you?”
At that, the young maiden jumped in horror. “My friends!”
Jiang Cheng was frowning, “No, we’re not your friends. We’re Yunmeng Jiang and Qinghe Nie’s Sect Leaders, Jiang Wanyin and Nie Huaisang,” he announced, solemnly. His serious demeanor got stuck in his throat, though, as she started tearing up.
“My friends…” she wept bitterly. “Why did no one rescue them? Why did I have to survive instead of them?” she asked at the cave roof, probably at the heavens.
Jiang Cheng was too astonished to move. That phrase had hit deep into his soul, to places and memories he swore he had moved on from already. In a blink, he saw Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan. In a blink, he saw his parents. And in a blink, he saw Wei Wuxian, now happily married, in god-knows-where. Maybe it was the rain, or something he always kept hidden inside him, but the closer they were getting to the root of the problem, the heavier his heart felt, as if the forest’s melancholy was also draining his energy. He glanced at Huaisang, and his chest swooned in a painful, atrocious way. At least he hasn’t lost him just yet. Just yet. He was still by his side right now. He always had a reason for everything he did and said, and he still kept on finding more reasons to speak, act, and live. There was a reason why he kept chasing Huaisang indirectly. There was a reason on the way he seemed oddly protective of him.
As he thought this, Huaisang got to speak first after a few minutes of silence. He walked in front of Jiang Cheng, expression filled with worry but with a tinge of confidence, as if he knew what he was doing. “Mistress, what happened here?” he asked, clutching his robes near his chest as he looked at her. “We cannot help with… with what’s already lost,” he said, feeling a knot swell up in his throat. “But we… but I can, at least, listen to your voice.”
Huaisang took a step ahead and got close to the spirit, turning his head to Jiang Cheng. He smiled with something deep in his eyes, an inescrutable feeling. Jiang Cheng did not like where this was going. As he opened his mouth to say ( what would he say? A warning? An exclamation? A threat of breaking Huaisang’s legs, just so he wouldn leave his side like almost everyone did? ) anything, Huaisang spoke first.
“Remember to wake me and keep me balanced if I don’t come back soon. May you calling my full name be the code,” he said, smiling mildly.
Jiang Cheng’s eyes opened widely. “Nie Huaisang?! What are you-”
Said man just shook his head. “Yeah, exactly like that.”
He wrote the talisman spell on his hand, and after that he closed his eyes and slammed his palm into his chest and looked at the ghost. “You may now come in.”
An Empathy spell.
“Huaisang!” Jiang Cheng cried, getting to hold his friend’s now unconscious body. He couldn’t shout anything else: the ghost had disappeared into Huaisang’s body. Gritting his teeth, he accommodated his body, with a hand always on his shoulder. He couldn’t lose him now. It was too dangerous and his core was too weak. What the hell was he thinking?!
Although, he probably was very right in bringing Huaisang with him. He didn’t know he would need an empathic soul in this trip, yet there he was. Sighing and holding his clarity bell tightly, he kept his hand on Huaisang’s shoulder and closed his eyes, focusing on the hollow sounds of droplets falling into puddles in the cave. He almost had lost him at the entrance of the forest. He wouldn’t lose him twice.