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Jiang Cheng is listening to his parents fight over what to do next even though everyone in the room already knows it.
The war is lost. A miracle would be needed to turn it around and there is only one way to achieve such a miracle.
They need to sacrifice someone to the Gods and one God in particular.
Jiang Cheng knows that a few of the smaller families have already sacrificed daughters and sons to him but so far, there has been no change in their luck.
It was to be expected, really, but Jiang Cheng is not about to say that out loud.
The God they want to sacrifice to has been in Jiang Cheng’s mind for a long time; he never outright dared to pray to him, certain his parents would know and scold him severely for it, but Jiang Cheng has read about him in more scrolls than he can remember and he has found his origin.
Jiang Cheng knows that the sacrifices will never work, not like this, not when they are forced.
“I am not going to sacrifice our only son!” Yu Ziyuan screeches at Jiang Fengmian. “I don’t care if we lose the war, if we sacrifice him what use has it to win it anyway?”
“What other choice is there, my lady? Something has to be done,” Jiang Fengmian gives back—rightfully so, because hundreds of thousands of people are going to die if they don’t do anything.
“Sacrifice that unruly boy if you want to lose a son so desperately,” Yu Ziyuan sneers out and Jiang Fengmian rears back as if she hit him in the face.
“I will not sacrifice A-Xian,” Jiang Fengmian heatedly gives back and seems to realize his mistake a second too late.
“Oh, but your own son can be a sacrifice? Is that it?”
“It wouldn’t work if we don’t offer up our own flesh and blood,” Jiang Fengmian tries and even here Yu Ziyuan sneers at him.
“So now he’s not your son. But when A-Cheng is gone, I bet you won’t hesitate a moment to seat him on the throne he has no right to.”
Jiang Cheng shakes his head at their stupid fight and tries his best to blend them out as much as he can.
They will not come to an agreement and they never will. It’s not in their nature to agree on something and Jiang Cheng doubts that it’s going to change now, in the most stressful of times.
But the Wens are marching on them and Jiang Cheng knows enough about this war to know that they can’t survive another attack of their full forces.
“I will do it,” he says, effectively cutting his parents off mid fight and both turn around to him with wide eyes, though for very different reasons.
His mother is already going into a panic, while his father is simply surprised that Jiang Cheng could be able to do the right thing.
Jiang Cheng is very tired of both of their behaviour and this is a nice way out for him.
He was supposed to lead the first division tomorrow. He would have died anyway. And dying for a God he has admired for a long time seems like the better option, given all things.
“You will not,” Yu Ziyuan yells out and Jiang Cheng sighs.
“Someone has to, you are both right about that. It’s no use to fight over who to offer up, I am going voluntarily. Let Wei Wuxian lead the assault tomorrow, maybe his luck can grant us another day should my offer not be enough.”
It’s really all he wanted to say to his parents so he tunes them out again when they turn on each other once more and they don’t even notice when he slips out.
Jiang Cheng was hoping for some peace and quiet on this evening but Wei Wuxian is waiting in his tent and going by his frazzled look he listened in on their very private family discussion.
“You can’t do that,” Wei Wuxian says as soon as Jiang Cheng steps into the tent and darts in to hang off Jiang Cheng’s arm. “I won’t let you.”
“Well, it’s not your decision,” Jiang Cheng says and pushes his hands off himself. “And I want to.”
“To that God? You know the stories, right?”
“I do,” Jiang Cheng says with a smile, because he has read more about this God than anyone else in his family.
He knows exactly who he’s offering himself up to.
“Jiang Cheng, please, you can’t do this,” Wei Wuxian begs but Jiang Cheng only shakes his head at him.
“I can and I will. My parents are still fighting over this even though I told them I will offer myself, so I guess they won’t be around to accompany me. Are you going to?” he asks and thoroughly enjoys when Wei Wuxian can only stare at him with wide eyes.
“You’re really going to do this,” he whispers and he falls to the floor as if all his strings have been cut. “You want to do this.”
“Wei Wuxian, let’s be real here,” Jiang Cheng says and crouches down in front of him. “I’m going to die. Either tonight as a sacrifice to the God or tomorrow morning when I lead our army. We both know I don’t have your luck on the battlefield, so there really truly is only one outcome for me. And I would rather join my God than stay here.”
“Your God,” Wei Wuxian whispers. “You—have you been praying to him all this time?”
“No, I didn’t quite dare to, not with my parents being like that,” he says with an eyeroll. “But he has always been in my mind. Let me do this Wei Wuxian. It’s not just for you, for this war. It’s also for me.”
“You will be dead,” Wei Wuxian seriously tells him. “You could survive tomorrow. If I stay by your side and have your back, you could survive. But if you do this tonight, then you’re dead.”
“I will be dead anyway,” Jiang Cheng gently tells him and he doesn’t want to make Wei Wuxian think of him as cruel but—“because as soon as Lan Wangji is in danger out there, you will forget about me.”
Jiang Cheng speaks from experience; the scar across his chest still hurts him on most days and he only got that one because he thought Wei Wuxian would be there on his left side, fighting with him. Instead Wei Wuxian had been all the way across the battlefield, fighting side by side with Lan Wangji and he only learned of Jiang Cheng’s injury long after the fight was done for.
No, Jiang Cheng would not trust Wei Wuxian to have his back on a battlefield anymore. He does trust his God though.
“I—” Wei Wuxian starts but Jiang Cheng cuts him off with a shake of his head.
“It’s alright,” he gently tells him. It hasn’t been, before, but now Jiang Cheng finds that it truly is. “Will you accompany me tonight to deliver me to the God?”
Wei Wuxian looks as if he wants to argue again but Jiang Cheng stares him down until he nods.
“Yes, if that is what you truly want, then yes.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng sincerely says and then pushes Wei Wuxian out of his tent. “Now let me get a few hours of sleep at least, alright, and you do the same. Get me one hour before midnight.”
“Fine,” Wei Wuxian mutters and leaves Jiang Cheng alone.
He doesn’t find it hard to fall asleep at all, but by the time Wei Wuxian comes to collect him, he is ready. Jiang Cheng decided to only dress in a soft inner robe; what use is there to put on full regalia if he’s going to be dead in less than an hour anyway.
The walk to the sacrifice ground is silent; even Wei Wuxian seems to feel that talking would be misplaced at the moment and Jiang Cheng is thankful for it.
They walk side by side until they come to the sacrificial ground.
“Here,” Wei Wuxian whispers and hands Jiang Cheng the ceremonial dagger.
Jiang Cheng supposes he could have done it with Sandu as well but he takes the dagger from Wei Wuxian’s hand.
“Thank you,” he whispers back and then lets out a surprised breath when Wei Wuxian pulls him into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian gives back and before Jiang Cheng can say something he pushed him away and left without a look back.
Jiang Cheng stares after him until he’s gone and then he steps into the sacred ground without hesitation. The ground is already blood soaked from the pervious sacrifices and it almost feels sacrilegious to Jiang Cheng to see it dirtied like that even though he’s going to add to the mess in a moment.
Jiang Cheng kneels in the middle of the ground and brings the knife up, a smile on his face as he thinks about his God and just as he’s about to bring the knife down on his throat a hand stops him.
And Jiang Cheng knows exactly who it is.
“Chifeng-zun,” he says with reference bowing deep and pressing his forehead into the ground.
“What are you doing?” a voice asks him, much softer than Jiang Cheng anticipated.
“I’m sacrificing myself to you,” he gives back, still in the same position and while he can’t see his God, he can hear him scoff.
“You know what I am,” the God says. “What kind of God I am.”
“I do,” Jiang Cheng says with a smile because it has always brought him hope and peace to think of his God.
“Look me in the eye and tell me what kind of God I am then,” his God demands and Jiang Cheng slowly rises out of his bowed position.
His God is beautiful; he looks more down to earth than Jiang Cheng had anticipated really, and even though the God looks sternly at him, Jiang Cheng can tell he was made to laugh. The laughter lines around his eyes give him away.
“You are the God of brothers and of family that wasn’t made but has been found. You are the God of faith, steadfast in your loyalty and convictions and you are the God of warm homes. And I am a voluntary sacrifice,” Jiang Cheng reverently says and he watches as surprise takes a hold on his God’s face.
“I am the God of War,” Chifeng-zun gives back and Jiang Cheng smiles even as he shakes his head.
“Maybe,” he allows. “But you weren’t always that. And I am not here to appeal to the God of War.”
“What do you want then?” Chifeng-zun asks and Jiang Cheng bows his head again.
“I want to protect my people; I want them to be able to go home, to their families and share a meal in a warm room. That’s all.”
He’s met with silence at his admission but he’s not worried. His God will know what is right.
“You’re here of your own free will,” Chifeng-zun finally says and Jiang Cheng is quick to nod.
He knows this is the reason the previous sacrifices haven’t worked; his God doesn’t take lives that are not his to claim. And all of the sacrifices were forced to be here.
“I am,” he promises and startles badly when his God kneels in front of him.
“Then your sacrifice shall be accepted,” Chifeng-zun says and presses a kiss to Jiang Cheng’s head.
Warmth spreads out from the point of contact and soon Jiang Cheng feels as if he’s burning. It doesn’t hurt though; it’s a warmth that engulfs him whole and turns him into something else but while it is relentless it’s also gentle.
“My name is Nie Mingjue,” his God tells him once Jiang Cheng can think again. “And I welcome you home, my heart.”
Jiang Cheng stares at him with wide eyes and it prompts Nie Mingjue to chuckle.
“What just happened?” Jiang Cheng dares to whisper out once he finds his voice.
“I made you immortal. You placed your life into my hands and I decided I want you around for a very long while. So I turned you and every God will know you belong to me.”
“You marked me,” Jiang Cheng says, staring at his hands even though he can’t see a difference.
“I claimed you,” Nie Mingjue corrects him and when he gets up he takes Jiang Cheng with him. “Going by the old laws I married you, but I never liked that practice, just like I don’t like the forced sacrifices. Let’s call it courting for now and talk more about it when I ended the war.”
“Courting,” Jiang Cheng whispers, completely taken off guard. “And you will—help?”
“Of course I will help,” Nie Mingjue decidedly says. “The Wens are a danger to everything I stand for. We will clean this war up and afterwards we’ll talk about the courtship.”
Jiang Cheng can only blink at him.
“This is not what you expected, huh?” Nie Mingjue asks with a teasing smile around his lips and while Jiang Cheng has to wholeheartedly agree he can’t say that he minds it too much.
He knew his God was made for laughing.
“It’s not,” he admits. “But I’m positively surprised and I can’t wait for what comes after this.”
“Good. Now lets go put an end to this war and then we can go home.”
Home. With his God. It sounds like a dream to Jiang Cheng and he is more than happy to follow along.