Chapter Text
They were losing. It was hard to swallow, like bile that just won’t go down. They hadn’t lost yet; there were a few battles they won, but there weren’t many of those victories. They lost more territory everyday. They lost so many disciples. These were people’s lives being lost, even when they won the battle they were still losing the war.
Jiang Cheng gave up on trying to be heard during meetings. He just sat off to the side and took the orders from the older Sect Leaders. Older didn’t mean wiser, or maybe they would be winning. He was so angry, but his anger had turned into numbness. He couldn’t bark at someone or yell or hit things. He just numbly went about the days. The only time he ever showed his emotions was on the battlefield. He was a force to be reckoned with then, but he was one person. He still didn’t have many disciples. He still didn’t have respect at war meetings.
All he had was his sister. Wei Wuxian was still missing and his parents were dead. He hasn’t given up on finding his shixiong, but he could no longer dedicate his entire life to finding him. His sister loves him and takes care of him, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s disappointed in him for not finding Wei Wuxian, for seemingly giving up.
A highlight from the past three years of war is after a major battle was won by their side, they had even thought it was the beginning of the end. Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli married. It was a small ceremony, it was still shrouded in loss and defeat. It was nice.
That was a year and a half ago.
She doesn’t seem to let the weight of Wei Wuxian’s disappearance bother her anymore. She’s heavily pregnant now and has to worry about what will happen to her newborn child if this war is really being lost. Jiang Cheng worries about that too. She and that baby are the only things keeping him fighting as hard as he does, Wei Wuxian’s absence is what keeps him alive. He has to be alive in order to be mad at Wei Wuxian for being gone.
“The supervisory office in Lotus Pier has had a lot of movement as of late.” Jiang Cheng’s head snaps up and he listens in again. He moves closer, impolitely pushes Lan Xichen out of the way. It’s Nie Mingjue talking.
“If we won this battle, we could possibly take back Yunmeng,” He continues and looks right at Jiang Cheng. “There’s also word that they still have prisoners from the capture of Lotus Pier, as well as some from other battles as well. These prisoners could go back to the beginning of this Campaign.”
Jiang Cheng knows what he’s implying. It’s a cruel implication more than it is hopeful, bringing up the search for Wei Wuxian. What it also does is make him think that if Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning hadn’t saved him then he would still be a prisoner in his own home, after three years. If Wei Wuxian is there, then Jiang Cheng knows he wouldn’t be getting the strong and charismatic shixiong he lost.
“What are you planning, exactly?” He asks, for once feeling like someone will answer him.
“We go in a few days, take as many men as possible while still maintaining stealth, and ambush the supervisory office at Lotus Pier,” Nie Mingjue explains. “The prisoner’s we get will be numbers, though if they’ve been imprisoned for three years they won’t be in any shape to fight. It’ll be a morale boost though.”
“How many of us do you suppose should go, Mingjue-xiong?” Lan Xichen asks.
“I’m going,” Jiang Cheng announces, though with less vigor than he intended. It’s Lotus Pier, of course he had to go. His disciples were there, whether Wei Wuxian was one of them didn’t even matter.
“Me and Sect Leader Jiang will do it,”
“Are you sure? You’re the leader of this Campaign, Sect Leader Nie,” Jin Guangshan speaks up. He started showing up to the meetings shortly after his son’s marriage to Yanli.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, it’s important that this mission be a success, I want to ensure it.” Nie Mingjue looks like the world is on his shoulders. Jiang Cheng would feel sympathy for him, but the only emotions he feels are for his sister, brother, and his soon-to-be niece or nephew. He understands, though, the need to be there; to see this battle through.
The rest of the meeting is figuring out the details of the mission. Jiang Cheng, for once, gives them his rapt attention.
#
Wei Wuxian has been a prisoner for a long time. He wishes he had been thrown in the Burial Mounds, like Wen Chao had said he would. They didn’t, they believed if push came to shove he’d make for a good prisoner. So here he is, in a makeshift cell outside in the elements and tied to a pole.
He’s heard about the victories of the Wen Sect. He knows that his side is losing the war. He waits for the day they kill him. He’s no longer useful just sitting in a cell tied to a pole. He wishes for death. He looks at the swords the Wen disciples carry with want, not to wield one but for it to cut him down finally. He has no hope of ever wielding a sword again, only for one to pierce his chest or cut his throat.
Everyday, the only thing that keeps him awake and alert, he waits to hear about his family. And after every battle, the Wen disciples talk about what an amazing feat it would be, to cut down the mighty Sandu Shengshou. They speak his new title with the same amazement as they do Chifeng-zun and Zewu-jun. Even now, in his beaten and defeated state, he is so proud of Jiang Cheng.
He wishes he could hear about his shijie. She’s not fighting in battle, so he has no idea how she’s doing. He knows she has to be alive, because that’s when he would hear about her. The Wen disciples would brag about killing the oldest child of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. They would brag about killing a noncombatant. A beautiful and peaceful woman.
It’s night, which is both the easiest and hardest time for Wei Wuxian. The sun isn’t beating down on him, the Wen disciples are off sleeping or drinking. He’s just by himself at night. Except that’s just it, he’s alone. It scares him: the solitude. It doesn’t help that sometimes starving dogs come sniffing at the scraps the Wens leave him to eat like a dog. Everything scares him at night.
Though the fear is vicious, it’s all in his head. His body has given up reacting to anything. Even when the Wens take him out of the cell and beat him or whip him, he doesn’t really scream anymore.
The worst part of it, as well as the most comforting part, is that he’s a prisoner in Lotus Pier. On one hand, he’s home and on the other, the Wen have complete control over it. It’s disheartening, when everything about his situation is appalling.
His legs lay sprawled in front of him and his arms are firmly tied behind his back. He doesn’t know if it is chains or rope tying him to this pole, but he has given up trying to escape. His head is down, as it usually is nowadays. He used to try and keep his strength up by standing and stretching, he hasn’t bothered with that in years.
Out of his periphery, he can see two Wen disciples walking up to his cell. Instead of walking past, they pause in front of his cell. Wei Wuxian doesn’t look up to see why. They could be dropping off more scraps for all he cares.
“Hey, Wei Wuxian!” One of them calls. He still doesn’t move.
“Are you dead or stupid?” The other one says.
“He’s still breathing, so he must be stupid,” The first one laughs. “But hey, Wei. Wu. Xian.”
They’re taunting him now, he’d rather be asleep but he can take taunting. He may not react to being beaten, doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it. He hasn’t been beaten in months, he thinks he might actually be healing. It wouldn’t be good for old wounds to open now.
“You know, your people, they have a plan. They’re coming here to reclaim Lotus Pier and release the prisoners we have here.” Wei Wuxian, against his better judgment, lifts his head and stares at the Wen cultivators. One of them has his hands on the bars of his cell and his face squished between them. He’s grinning.
“Do you think they’ll have a chance?” The other one asks as if he really wants to hear Wei Wuxian’s opinion.
“They think we don’t have many people here, which is why they’re attacking. They don’t know anything. They’re going to die, all of them, including your shidi. The great Sandu Shengshou.” The taunting one says. Wei Wuxian would glare if he had the energy. He knows Jiang Cheng will live, he has to.
This upcoming battle though, it won’t be good or it’ll be great. This could be a war ending battle or a new beginning if the Four Great Sects succeed. He prays it’ll be the latter.