Chapter Text
Heavy clouds slowly covered the sky, heralding the arrival of rain. The wind was increasing in strength, making it difficult to travel towards Koi Tower, but Nie Mingjue didn't care. Due to the fact that Nie Huaisang didn't have a sword to fly on, they all decided to reach the Lanling Jin lands on horseback. They set off the previous evening, stopping at an inn for the night, then set off at dawn to continue their journey. Chifeng-Zun rode right beside his own brother, involuntarily wondering why Nie Huaisang insisted on going with them. The fact that he had received an invitation to tea wasn't enough, but the current Sect Leader Nie didn't try to explain himself for anything. They both knew that there was something else behind his behaviour, something that he didn't want to reveal and should perhaps remain a secret until the very end.
The wind hit them again, moving their robes harder, forcing them to close their eyes. Nie Mingjue involuntarily looked at the hands that held the reins and sighed silently. As long as he looked in front of him, as long as he didn't look at anyone, he could pretend to himself that nothing had changed, forget about the body he was now living in. But he felt bitterness every time he saw the perhaps strong but still slender female arms, when he crossed his arms over soft breasts instead of hard muscles like before. He missed his body, he feared the future, though at the same time he tried to pretend even to himself that he didn't feel that fear. However, he couldn't deny that he still wasn't used to being a woman. He didn't talk like one, and currently he didn't even try to keep up appearances now that everyone knew about his situation.
During the road, no one spoke. Nie Huaisang even seemed to be enjoying the road, watching the birds that occasionally flew over their heads. Jiang Wanyin had a rather fierce expression on his face, probably wanting to end everything right away, worrying about his people. Lan Xichen seemed immersed in his own thoughts. He finally turned his horse around to level with the girl and look towards the Koi Tower that was already visible.
"Whatever is going to happen, I would like to hear his explanation first, Chifeng-Zun. I know that Wei Wuxian has revealed everything, but perhaps..." He began, but was interrupted by a furious growl.
"I wonder if you are so stupid or so naive, Xichen" Nie Meifeng's voice broke through the noise of the wind, and the anger painted on her face was like a blow to Sect Leader Lan. However, that didn't interest Nie Mingjue at the moment. He still felt resentment towards his friend, something he had repeatedly reproached him for, and this time wasn't going to be any different. He also saw no reason why he should forgive him so quickly.
"I told you about how he killed the Lanling Jin members. I don't support slandering others, taking credit for others' actions, but if we were to strike out for every insult, there would have been no cultivators long ago. Additionally, he had already used the Qishan Wen technique back then," Chifeng-Zun began, clasping his hands tighter on the reins, trying not to rush the horse more than necessary. "I owed him a debt of gratitude for helping me survive the capture, but he killed my men without blinking an eye. I have not forgiven him for that, though you wanted to. You stood by his side every time, Zewu-Jun. Even when he was protecting Xue Yang. If you try to defend him now too, I promise you'll pay for it in blood," Nie Mingjue finished, glancing at his friend for a moment as he continued to think of Lan Xichen, almond eyes burning furiously.
"I understand... However, I would like to hear his explanation" repeated Sect Leader Lan quietly, smiling gently at the girl. He didn't say anything else, continuing on in silence. He understood Chifeng-Zun's anger, and wasn't surprised by his desire for revenge, but since his conversation with his own brother and Master Wei, Lan Xichen had more questions than answers. He needed to know what had guided Meng Yao's actions in order to judge him properly. The man couldn't fully believe that all this time, the younger man had been manipulating him. He couldn't when the man was only showing him his kindness, and at the same time, Lan Huan felt guilty. After all, if he hadn't taught Jin Guangyao to play Cleansing, if he hadn't pushed for his two friends to reconcile, perhaps Nie Mingjue would still be alive, or rather, still have a body of his own.
"Only this time don't be fooled by his smiles" the girl's voice snapped the man out of his reverie. However, he didn't manage to reply when Nie Meifeng hurried her horse, advancing to the front of the group.
Before they reached Koi Tower, they received word from their men that they were in positions from which they could attack Lanling Jin if necessary, trying to come to their aid. The sects in the vicinity were also notified to be ready to fight if necessary. Everyone was convinced that Jin Guangyao was also preparing a surprise for them, for this seemingly peaceful tea, so they tried to prepare. One other thing was worrying Lan Xichen, as well as Jiang Wanyin - the lack of news from Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi, who were supposed to fly to Lanling Jin at dawn to meet Jin Ling. Since they were silent, there was a possibility that they had fallen into a trap again, which only made the two men grit their teeth as they stared intensely and at the already visible buildings of Koi Tower.
Nie Mingjue, though he didn't speak of it, felt uncertainty for the first time in a long time. Anger and a desire for revenge had directed his steps to this place, but still he didn't feel as much confidence as he wanted to. He knew his new body had limitations, though it was well-trained. However, he was no longer as strong as before, and relying on agility alone couldn't always help. Lan Jingyi's face stood before his eyes, concern in his gaze, concern when he said he didn't like their plan with taking advantage of the invitation to the Koi Tower. What if the boy was right and indeed this body wasn't ready?
Stupid kid. Why am I thinking about him?
Nie Mingiue shook his head slightly, coming to the conclusion that being in someone else's body could definitely mess with your head. He snorted at his own thoughts, pulling the reins slowly as they reached the foot of the Koi Tower. One of the servants was waiting for them at the gate, and after bowing, he announced that the Sect Leader Jin was expecting them over tea. No one had expected Jin Guangyao to personally come to greet them, but the feeling of walking straight into a trap only intensified. Nonetheless, everyone followed the man, remaining seemingly calm. At least to a certain extent, because in the girl's almond-shaped eyes, it was clear that Chifeng-Zun felt like simply running into the hall and tugging Jin Guangyao by the robes, without any unnecessary play-acting. However, he gritted his teeth as he felt Nie Huaisang gently place a hand on his shoulder and calmly followed the others inside.
In the hall, Sect Leader Jin was sitting at a small table, drinking tea. He clearly didn't feel threatened in any way, and it could even be considered that the man was unaware of anything that had happened in Burial Mounds. He looked as if he didn't expect to be exposed, and the guests who had arrived might have been fooled by it if not for a sudden shout from the opposite side of the room.
"Uncle!"
"Zewu-Jun!"
Everyone's eyes flickered towards the juniors, where besides the Gusu Lan alumni, there were also Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen. All four of them were kneeling down, trying not to move their heads. However, when Jiang Wanyin along with Lan Xichen took a step towards them, Jin Guangyao put the kettle down on the table, drawing attention to himself.
"I wouldn't advise going near them," he said quietly, raising his other hand a little higher. The air between him and the juniors shimmered, showing strings that were invisible at first glance that tightly wrapped around the boys' necks, on which red marks were slowly being drawn.
"Lianfang-Zun..." began Lan Xichen, motionless and also gesturing to stop Sect Leader Jiang from moving further. At that, Nie Mingjue looked towards Lan Jingyi, remembering how the boy had pledged to help, to defend them, to be able to do so. In the end, he had required rescue himself and had certainly fallen into the trap in an even more foolish way than they had.
Stupid kid.
"They'll be fine. I wanted to make sure you had tea with me," Meng Yao spoke up, gesturing to the other tables with tea prepared. It was as if they were at a Discussion Conference. "Block your qi, please,'' he added kindly, smiling slightly, askingly, at which Nie Mingiue snorted.
He had no intention of obeying Jin Guangyao's orders, although at the same time, he knew that he couldn't put the stupid kids' lives at risk unnecessarily. Unfortunately, they were not really sure if the man would pull the strings after blocking the qi. Not more than two days ago, they were returning from Burial Mounds where these same juniors were about to die. How could they believe that now Men Yao would keep his word? How could they believe that his word was worth anything? All he was doing was lying, manipulating. And yet Lan Xichen blocked his own qi without hesitation, making Nie Mingiue gnash his teeth in anger.
"You really are stupid, Xichen" the girl's angry voice drew Jin Guangyao's attention. The man looked at her, noticing that she was shorter than Nie Huaisang, so she had to be shorter than him as well. This would be the first time he could look down on Nie Mingiue. The thought made him laugh, though he tried not to let it show on his face. Thus, he looked like he was waiting to be properly introduced.
"Meimei, please," Nie Huaisang spoke up, shielding himself with a fan, clearly afraid of reaction to his sister's behavior.
"Sect Leader Jin, I don't know, I really don't know why such a thing is needed... After all, you invited us for tea! It's known that we'd love to drink with you, so maybe... Oh I don't know... Maybe it would be worth letting them go?" the man asked, fanning himself quickly, ignoring the girl's gaze full of disbelief.
Jiang Wanyin, trying to take advantage of the moment when Nie Huaisang along with Nie Mingiue were focusing Jin Guangyao's attention, carefully reached Sandu. He intended to cut the strings, but he had to be careful. He could already see that the juniors' skins were slowly giving way under pressure, and the first drops of blood were beginning to appear. But they had to free them before anyone made a careless move, and he didn't suspect Nie Mingiue would gain the virtue of patience after waking up in a new body. Already, his snorts at the Sect Leader Nie's behaviour could be heard.
"Ah! Yes, yes! I don't know how I could have forgotten that, I really don't know, it's not like... It's my sister, Nie Meifeng" Nie Huaisang continued, fanning himself hastily, hiding part of his face in the process. He was about to say something else when Jin Guangyao smiled slightly, not stopping to stare at the girl.
"I heard that she appeared quite suddenly. How lucky, Sect Leader Nie! In that case, let's all sit down, get to know each other better..."
"Stop the clowning around! Meng Yao, you'll pay for everything this time!" growled the girl, moving towards the Sect Leader Jin while drawing her sword, but she stopped a few steps away as soon as the man raised his hand. The four strings glittered in the sunlight coming through the window, effectively immobilizing Nie Mingiue.
"Sect Leader Jiang, I also advise you not to move, or you and the lovely Nie Meifeng will have junior blood on your hands," Jin Guangyao spoke up firmly, and the four boys groaned.
Nie Mingiue saw the glittering furtive glances of Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi, the shadow of fear in Ouyang Zizhen's eyes, and the strange calm in Lan Sizhui's. He perceived that Jiang Wanyin was close to cutting the strings with Sandu, but Meng Yao reminded them again to block their own qi if they didn't want unnecessary bloodshed. The fact that he had them somewhat in his grasp was driving Nie Mingiue to the brink of rage, but even he didn't want to risk the lives of the captured kids in the name of revenge, of justice.
"Brother why? Is everything we heard true?" suddenly asked Lan Xichen, who was the only one to sit down at the table with tea steeped. Chifeng-Zun snorted, not moving from his seat, clearly not intending to do everything Meng Yao wanted while trying to find a way to free juniors.
The only reasonable option seemed to be to cut off the man's hand, as trying to cut off the strings could pull them unnecessarily, cutting the skin on the boys' necks. However, without sending Weifeng in his direction, it wasn't possible, and since Nie Mingjue, along with the rest, was supposed to block his own qi, things were getting more difficult, if not impossible. He growled quietly, crossing his arms over his chest without letting go of his sword, which suddenly seemed much heavier than it actually was.
"Depends on what you ask, Er-ge," Jin Guangyao replied at once, smiling gently at the man, making Nie Mingjue nauseous. He involuntarily feared that Lan Xichen would side with this son of a prostitute this time too.
"I think you know, since you invited us here today and decided to make hostages of these boys," replied Sect Leader Lan seemingly calmly, but Jiang Wanyin could see a slight trembling in his hand. Nie Huaisang, who was watching the man closely, also saw it. He was glad for the confrontation, though his plans didn't include the captured juniors. He watched events unfold, at the same time fearing for his own brother lest he throw himself at Meng Yao prematurely.
However, Nie Mingjue simply stood and waited for the energy to start circulating in his body again until he could send Weifeng in front of him in one motion. He didn't listen to half of Jin Guangyao's explanation, feeling the anger only grow within him.
It all came down to one thing - he blamed others for his actions. He killed his father because he never respected him, didn't want him. He let his brother into a trap, and although he didn't kill him personally, he was glad that his brother had lost everything Jin Guangyao didn't have in an instant. He married his own sister to present himself properly and caused his son to die so that no one would know the truth.
"You caused my father's death! Because you felt inferior!" roared Jin Ling, jerking away, though Lan Sizhui tried to hold him in place, so the boy wouldn't hurt himself worse.
"Jin Ling don't move!" growled Jiang Wanyin immediately, with this simple command he reseated the boy. Although he sounded like he was furious with his nephew, his grey gaze shone with fear for his life. The man clenched his fists with all his might, driving his nails into the insides of his palms, trying not to provoke Meng Yao into killing the boy, though he clearly wanted to wrap Zidian around his neck.
"You cry for someone you didn't know and make statements about something you don't understand. Didn't you have everything you wanted? Didn't I raise you right, didn't I take care of you? Did you even get a dog?" countered Jin Guangyao condescendingly, turning back to Lan Xichen, who he was mostly focused on, speaking. "You understand that I had no choice, right?"
Sect Leader Lan merely clenched his fingers on the tea pot, trying to rid himself of the urge to vomit as it dawned on him how many years he had been living a lie. He knew that not all of his sworn brother's ideas were bad, after all, at least lookout towers were something that could help all sects, but that wasn't how one gained position, respect. Listening to Meng Yao’s explanation, juxtaposing it with what he had managed to learn about him from the others, he was beginning to get the impression that he didn't really know the man speaking. It seemed that he was supposed to feel sorry for him because he was repulsed? Because his mother made him believe that he could be Jin Guangshan's successor? Was this what Da-ge had tried to tell him years ago?
"If you had a shred of decency, you wouldn't have blamed it on others. You knew after the first time that Jin Guangshan wouldn't accept you into the family, but instead of bowing your head and joining another sect and staying in it, you preferred to dabble," Nie Mingjue finally spoke up, taking a step towards Meng Yao, who looked at him with a mixture of uncertainty when he didn't know what to expect from his former friend's new body and also resentment.
"You displayed yourself during the war just to get closer to me. You could have been one of my better men, second to Nie Zonghui, but you preferred to betray me. You cheated, you manipulated."
"You see, Er-ge? He never tried to understand me, accusing me of everything! Even for wanting to change things!" began Meng Yao at once, as usual, seeking help from Lan Xichen, who only closed his eyes.
"Did you use the tune from Collection of Turmoil weaving it into Cleansing, which I taught you?"
Lan Xichen's quiet question betrayed the struggle that was going on inside the man at the moment. His voice, though trembling slightly, sounded overly firm, leaving no doubt that he wanted to know the truth. He had blamed himself for Nie Mingjue's death ever since Wei Wuxian had made him realize that the melody Jin Guangyao had been playing for so long had only poisoned his spirit, turning the man's energy against him. He remembered that the two had had trouble communicating from the beginning, ever since Meng Yao had killed the members of Lanling Jin. If he had listened to the older man back then, perhaps they wouldn't be where they were at the moment. Perhaps part of the tragedy would never have happened. But there was no point in dwelling on it, not now, when the lives of the four youths depended on the course of the conversation, when the girl's almond eyes betrayed her determination to get rid of Meng Yao.
"I had no choice, Er-ge! You heard when he gave me a month, after which he intended to kill me! I had to defend myself!" immediately replied Jin Guangyao, sounding as pathetic to Nie Mingjue as ever, but although he clenched his teeth, he tried not to show that he was gradually moving towards the man.
"So you tricked me and took advantage of my goodwill?" Lan Xichen asked, and the pain in his voice caused the Sect Leader Jin to grimace.
"I never intended to hurt you," he said, and perhaps he would have added more had he not noticed the sudden movement. The sun danced on Weifeng's blade as Nie Mingjue cut from below, depriving his former sworn brother of the hand in which he had so far held the strings.
In an instant, everything descended into chaos as the obedient cultivators rushed into the room at Jin Guangyao's shout, throwing themselves at his guests. The juniors quickly removed the strings from their own necks, drawing their swords. Jiang Wanyin made sure that Jin Ling was unharmed so that he and his nephew could fight side by side against the cultivators obeying the Sect Leader Jin. None of the gold-robed men cared about the order to kill the heir. Lan Xichen rushed to the aid of Nie Huaisang, who was the only one without a weapon with which to defend himself, while Nie Mingjue threw himself into pursuit of the fleeing Meng Yao. He had never considered him brave, but at this moment, calling him a coward seemed too kind.
"You won't escape" the girl's shout echoed among everyone as she slashed with her sword, whirling in a deadly dance as she paved her way towards the injured Jin Guangyao who was trying to escape outside as if wanting to escape from Koi Tower.
What Mingjue didn't realize was that Lan Jingyi had thrown himself into running after him, still unsure if the man could handle fighting in his new body. It was one thing to train and another to actually fight for one's life. Nie Huaisang acted in a similar manner, taking advantage of the fact that Lan Xichen was taking all the blows, he surreptitiously tried to get out of the room to follow his brother's footsteps and see Jin Guangyao fall with his own eyes.
The moment Nie Huaisang ran into the Koi Tower courtyard, Meng Yao tried to dodge the girl's attacks while trying to defend himself with one hand, though he clearly couldn't fight with his left hand. Step by step, cut by cut, they approached the huge staircase. Lan Jingyi fought right beside them, trying his best to prevent the Sect Leader Jin's men from reaching the two combatants.
Eventually, the courtyard became more crowded as the others ran out in the wake of Nie Meifeng and Meng Yao. Jin Ling shouted to the Lanling Jin men and called his uncle a traitor, ordering the others to capture the man, but none of this reached Nie Mingjue, who was inflicting more minor but painful wounds on his opponent with each passing moment.
"You think I'm afraid of you, Nie Mingjue?" shouted Jin Guangyao, just before Weifeng pierced his body, causing the man to freeze. Before his eyes, the girl, so unlike Chifeng-Zun, yet smiling with the same predatory smile, snorted under her breath.
"Perhaps you should" the girl's quiet voice brought a mocking smile to Meng Yao's face. Nie Mingjue lifted his leg and pushed the man off the blade with a kick, sending him flying backwards onto the stairs. Everyone became motionless as they realized what had happened. In silence, Jin Guangyao's body hit the ground at the foot of the stairs leading to Koi Tower, causing a sigh of relief to come out of some chests.
Nie Huaisang moved closer to his brother, grabbing the girl under his arm, covering his face with a fan, but Nie Mingjue could see his smile full of contentment, which he himself couldn't hide either.