Chapter Text
”His lineage is so distant that he’s barely even a Wen!”
“Get him out of here before he brings disgrace upon our Wen Clan!”
The words that echoed from the mouth of Wen Chao stung worse than any arrow that Wen Ning could let fly from his bow. Instinctively, the young man’s head dropped—Eyes glued to the ground beneath his feet as he started to move out of the formation.
His sister had reassured him of his talents, but there was no arguing with Wen Chao—If he did not want for him to participate, then there was no denying the request. … And Wen Ning did not have the guts necessary to stand up to the son of his sect’s leader.
This was far from an unusual occurrence, after all. There were plenty of people who did whatever they could to make life difficult for him—Even from an incredibly young age, it wasn’t uncommon for him to return home to his sister with tears in his eyes. He wasn’t a proper Wen, and he knew that better than anyone here. He did not have the same desires that many of his sect did—And he was perfectly content to sit in Wen Qing’s shadow, learning all that he could from her.
… It wasn’t like the skills that he had outside of that would ever be recognized, after all. That much had been made clear time and time again—Even now, no one had faith in him to give him the chance to prove himself.
… And in a way? He was happy for that.
What Wen Ning didn’t expect, of course, was for a new—yet also familiar enough—voice to raise above the crowd in challenge of Wen Chao’s decision. His downward gaze carefully moved upwards, eyes locking with the young master from much earlier in the day—The young man who had been travelling with who he could only assume was Jiang Cheng of the Yunmeng Jiang sect.
“Who said that he can’t draw a bow?! He most certainly can! And his archery is excellent!”
It took everything he had to keep tears from pricking at the corner of his eyes—No one had ever stood up for him like that. And as nice a feeling as it was… All the eyes that continued to be locked on him brought on a feeling of pure dread. His chest tightened, and he could feel his hands begin to shake.
The conversation between the two of them had left his focus, instead his attention was on the overwhelming anxiety that dared to overtake him at any moment—
“Wen Ning.”
He couldn’t breathe, and yet his attention shot back towards Wen Chao as he continued to speak.
“Your archery is good? Shoot an arrow for all of us to see, then.”
He could barely hold himself back from crying at this point—But he knew better than to let the tears fall with so many looking at him. The expectations were heavy. He couldn’t breathe. His hands shook uncontrollably as he pulled his bow from his back.
He could barely grip the arrow properly, and aiming was impossible.
He would make a fool of himself in front of so many people. In front of Wen Chao. In front of members of his sect and many others—And, most importantly, in front of the disciple that had dared to stand up for him.
That much is what caused the grip around his heart to tighten, causing his breathing to go quick and shallow. Why?
He couldn’t fail. He can’t fail. He could handle the shame on himself. He was used to it, even if it made his chest tight and his breathing heavy. Even if he could feel the tears daring to fall down his cheek… It was preferable to bringing the honor of someone else with him.
It was true that this Wei Wuxian had seen his skills on the way to the tournament—But that didn’t change that those skills were meaningless before such a large crowd. With so many eyes on him he couldn’t bare it.
There was only one thing that Wen Ning could do as he pulled the string back, hands trembling as he stared at the target—Then glanced to all the faces that he could see in his peripheral. So many eyes on him. So many eyes focused on him, waiting for him to fail.
There was only one thing that he could do. Wen Ning closed his eyes, a gentle melody coming from his throat. A song that he had known for as long as could remember—A song that helped to calm his nerves, due to what it would one day lead him to.
The gentle melody that only he and one other person on this earth knew by heart.
The song that would lead Wen Ning to his soulmate—The person that he could only hope was the one who stood up for him. There was something deep inside of him that wanted Wei Wuxian to be his soulmate—For someone so brave and kind to be the person meant to stand by him—
He was just about to let the arrow fly, his nerves calming ever so slightly—
He opened his eyes to adjust his aim—But there was one thing that caught him off guard. In the moment that Wei Wuxian spoke to him, telling him to relax his eyes caught onto something that he hadn’t expected.
It was the way that the man next to him was looking at him, the recognition in the eyes of Jiang Cheng… It was that, alongside the sudden words of encouragement that let Wen Ning’s arrow fly far too soon.
And even as Wen Chao’s laughter echoed in his ears. Even as shame overcame him and Wen Ning hung his head… He continued to think about what he had seen in the eyes of the Yunmeng Jiang sect’s young master.
---
Jiang Cheng’s attention had been split throughout the competition. He had tried his hardest, there was no doubt about that—And yet, in the end, his mind had not been fully on the competition itself.
That song that he had been so careful not to share with a single soul, quietly escaping from the lips of another… It had been enough to shake him to his very core.
And now it was that, alongside his inability to best Wei Ying once again, that led to his escape from the counsel. It was shameful that he, the heir to the Yunmeng Jiang sect, had not been able to make it into the top four—He was still so painfully average, and Wei Ying continued to shine above him even now.
Thinking about the results made his blood boil—And yet his emotions were torn between two very different feelings on two very different things.
There was, of course, his overwhelming insecurity. The overwhelming dread for the upcoming fight that would break out when they returned home. He knew that his father would brag about Wei Ying’s accomplishments, not daring to say a word about him—Not that he deserved it. He hadn’t even come close to the accomplishment that Wei Ying had, in coming into first place.
…. And the words that Wei Ying had said to that person still stung, as well.
“There are no more than three people better than you. And you’re better than this one.”
His fists clenched at his sides as he walked, a deep frown on his expression. He couldn’t stand it.
He was useless. He’d never be fit to lead his sect. Pathetic.
And yet, at the exact same time, the other feeling that he had was… contradictory. It was a sort of softness that settled in his chest as he thought about that young man—What was his name again? Wen Ning.
He thought about that familiar song that he had hummed as he prepared to let his arrow fly. The song that, overall, marked that man as his soul mate…
And, for once, perhaps Wei Ying’s words didn’t sting nearly as much.
… Actually, yeah. They still stung like hell, even if they had been used in an attempt to raise the spirits of the man that he… might be destined to spend the rest of his days with.
Either way, that would be a discussion to be held at a later time. … He would approach that gentle man when he was less bothered by the events of that day. At least, that’s what he had decided after seeing just how timid he was.
If Wen Ning was to be his soul mate, he didn’t want to leave a bad first impression. That was the last thing that he would want-- To not be good enough for the one person that he was supposed to be able to rely on, no matter what.
Then again, if everything up to this point was able to indicate how this would go… There may be no chance for him in the first place.
---
The sun was starting to set and Wen Ning’s attention was on the bow he held in his hands. The string freshly tightened with gentle and skilled fingers—Ready to be shot whenever he was ready.
He wouldn’t be practicing tonight. There wasn’t any point, was there? The one reason that he had been trying so hard these past weeks… and he hadn’t been able to make it into the competition. All that he had managed to do was make a complete fool of himself. Like always.
… And that was why he had left as soon as the competition had started, not wishing to remain with those who had not gone into the stone forest. … Not wishing to remain in Wen Chao or Wen Ruohan’s sights. He had made a fool of himself in front of not only his sect’s leader—But in front of all five of the major sects.
There was no way that he could have stayed there and be okay. … Which is why he had chosen to come to this location, a ways away from the festivities—Yet it also gave a wonderful view of the stone forest below. He had watched the entirety of the competition on his own, trained eyes darting between competitors—
Yet his gaze had always returned to one person in particular.
The young master that had been by Wei Wuxian’s side. The young master that had given him that knowing look as he failed one of the most important shots of his life.
He was talented, that much was clear. Perhaps it was the distance, but Wen Ning had not been able to see much wrong with the way that he held his bow. There was also the fact that he had not been disqualified from the match—He had not missed a single shot that he had taken.
He had no idea about the actual results of the tournament, but one thing was clear. Jiang Cheng was an impressive cultivator with a good shot.
… Someone that was probably a lot better than he was.
… Someone who was definitely a lot better than he was. After all, there was no doubt about his right to enter the tournament. No doubt about his skills.
… There was no utter failure before the entirety of all five of the major sects. No inability to even fire a proper shot.
… Just by virtue of that, Wen Ning had decided that his potential soul mate was someone who was much more impressive than himself. Then again, that wasn’t a difficult feat, was it?
Lost in thought, Wen Ning settled into a much more comfortable position on the ground—legs crossed and his bow laid beside him as his gaze focused on the sky. He didn’t come here nearly as often as his sister—But the view was unmistakably gorgeous. The long shadows that stretched over the valleys below as the sun sunk beneath the horizon in several shades of orange and pink.
If he had any talent for painting, this would certainly be a sight to capture. But even then, nothing could compare to seeing it in person.
In a way, he enjoyed it more than the sunset back home in Yiling. As beautiful as the sun’s reflection over the water was, it couldn’t beat the long shadows that were created by the cliffs and valleys that were around the Nightless City.
Then again, he wondered what the sunset was like in Lotus Pier—The large expanse of water that surrounded the town was something that he had always wanted to see.
But he did not dare head there—He didn’t want to cause any more trouble for his own sect, let alone for another sect. The ways of the Qishan Wen Sect were things that he did not agree with and he was certain that he would not be welcome in the heart of the Yunmeng Jiang sect’s lands. Not even for something as simple as the view of the sunset over the lotuses and lily pads that grew in the water around the pier.
… Perhaps it was silly, but it was yet another reason to hope that Jiang Cheng was really his soul mate.
---
As he trekked up the path, Jiang Cheng heard that familiar melody once again—Steadily growing louder as he walked higher and higher. There was a part of him that wanted to stop, knowing full well who would be at the end of this path. His fists were still clenched by his side, yet his anger had slowly started to ebb away as his walk continued.
That was the one of the reasons that he fought against the impulse to stop and turn away. The other… Well, the other was the excitement that he felt settle into his chest. This was the day that he had dreamed of since he was a young boy, since he had first learned of the importance of that all-too familiar song from his elder sister.
… His mother never spoke of such things. And as time passed? Jiang Cheng had slowly come to realize why.
… Now was not the time to dwell on what would be waiting for him when they returned home.
Jiang Cheng took a shaky breath, deciding to continue up the trail. He would not turn back. He would not run from this important moment in his life—
He stopped in his tracks, going completely still. Wen Ning’s back was to him, and he hadn’t seemed to notice his approach—And there was something about the scene that calmed Jiang Cheng from the worries that had plagued his mind only moments before.
The bright red sunset that cast long shadows over the valley below. The way that Wen Ning’s hair shone ever so slightly in the light… And the gentle melody that continued to drift through the air. It was in this moment that Jiang Cheng was absolutely certain about one thing; the man before him was his soul mate. There were zero doubts—
And so he cleared his throat to catch his attention.
He watched as Wen Ning’s shoulders tensed—And the gentle humming stopped so abruptly that Jiang Cheng felt his heart sink. He hadn’t intended to startle him that badly. But there was no turning back now. He couldn’t back out of this.
If he were to leave now he would make a fool of himself—And that was the last thing that he wished to do.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Cheng takes a few more steps forward. “That song,” he begins, keeping his voice as level as he could, “where did you hear it?”
Silence hung in the air for a long moment. It felt like an eternity, but for once… Jiang Cheng was patient—And he listened so intently as Wen Ning finally spoke.
“… I’ve… known it for as long as I can remember,” he responded, his voice just above a whisper. He never made eye contact with Jiang Cheng as he spoke, his gaze cast towards the ground after he had turned to face him.
Even from this distance, Jiang Cheng could feel the shame radiating off of him. He couldn’t decide if it would be a good idea to step closer, so he stayed where he was. He could feel his face burning—Perhaps it was a good thing that Wen Ning was not looking up at him.
That would be so much more embarrassing… And yet the crack in his voice made his feelings even more obvious as he spoke. “It’s… it’s mine—“
Even his ears were burning at this point, and there was no way that he could stand for Wen Ning to see him like this—
And yet, as soon as the words had escaped his lips, Wen Ning’s gaze met with Jiang Cheng’s. It took everything that he had to keep himself from looking away and trying to hide his face. … But seeing that gentle smile on Wen Ning’s expression… It was worth letting him see him like this.
… Really, if this was correct… Wen Ning would have been the only person that Jiang Cheng would allow to see him like this.
“… This… is your sect’s soul mate mark, correct? Young M… m-aster Jiang..?”
Jiang’s only response was a sharp nod. He continued to face Wen Ning, but he finally found himself unable to keep eye contact with the man sitting before him. … The gentle, amused expression on his face was far from helpful with all the feelings that swelled within him.
“I… I feel that I should make it very clear that I am not displeased—“ Jiang Cheng explains, the words tumbling out of his mouth quickly. He had seen the way that Wen Ning had acted earlier in the day. He didn’t want to add more fear to what the man already seemed to feel quite often.
And he wasn’t lying as he said this, either—He wasn’t displeased. He was thrilled, even if he was bad at saying so. Even if he was so bad at showing it.
He watched as Wen Ning gave a gentle nod in response. “… Y… y-es, I understand that,” he explained. Jiang Cheng noticed the stutter in his words, yet he made no comment on it. It was clear that Wen Ning was able to see how poor Jiang Cheng was at explaining himself, and he felt a sort of relief wash over him.
… And then Wen Ning’s hand began to pat the ground next to him. A silent invitation for Jiang Cheng to come and sit with him.
… And, of course, Jiang Cheng only hesitated a short moment before doing so, gently placing himself on the ground next to the gentle young man that had caught his attention earlier that day—The two of them sat in silence for a long while, simply enjoying each other’s company as they watched the sun set over the jagged cliffs.