Chapter Text
"Only piece of heaven I ever had"
Wei Wuxian moves through the vast hallways of the Nie Sect, his shoes echoing on the cold stone floor. Every step is accompanied by the sound of his solitudes, and the silence that surrounds him is heavy as a blanket of fog. The grandeur of the building makes him feel even more isolated, a stranger in a place where he cannot find comfort.
The disciples of the Nie sect look at him with curiosity and disapproval, their scrutinizing gazes seem to pass through him. “Why is he here?” seems to be the question hovering in the air, accompanied by a sense of silent hostility. Wei Wuxian feels the weight of those looks like a physical pressure, a constant reminder that he doesn't belong there.
The Nie Sect is imposing, with its thick walls and endless corridors, built to project strength and security. But for Wei Wuxian, these walls are like a prison, and the sheer size of the palace only amplifies his sense of loneliness. He feels small, insignificant, an intruder in a place that he cannot call home. Every glance he encounters judges him, condemns him silently, as if the disciples of the sect could see through his skin, read the invisible scars he carries inside, and know his every mistake, every misstep.
There is a weight in his chest, a feeling of not belonging that suffocates him. Every breath is a reminder of his losses, of what he left behind, or rather, of what left him. His mind returns to those moments of chaos and devastation, when everything he knew and loved was shattered. The fall of the Lotus Pier Sect, the destruction of the Jiang clan, and ultimately, the decision to embrace the Demon Path to gain the power needed to avenge those he had lost. Yet, that power had led to his downfall, to the alienation of all those who had once mattered to him. Wei Wuxian is here, in the Nie Sect, because he has no place else to go. After being resurrected thanks to Mo Xuanyu's ritual, he wandered aimlessly, knowing that the entire world would see him as a monster, an outcast. And so it happened. The looks full of hatred and fear, the voices that whispered behind his back, accompanied him wherever he went. He sought shelter, but no place was safe, no sect willing to welcome him. Until Nie Mingjue, against all odds, offered him shelter.
But here again, peace is an illusion. Every corner of the Nie sect reminds him he no longer has a place in the world. The disciples regard him with suspicion, and although they do not attack him openly, their hostility is palpable. Wei Wuxian tries to hide his discomfort behind a smile, but it's a tired smile, never reaching his eyes. Every day is a struggle to maintain some semblance of normality, so as not to collapse under the weight of remorse and loneliness. "I'm a ghost," he thinks bitterly, "a man without roots, without a past worth remembering, and without a future waiting for me."
Lan Wangji, his closest ally, had done everything he could to protect him, but even the power of Gusu Lan's second jade was not enough against the rising tide of hatred and fear washing over Wei Wuxian. Despite still feeling love for Wei Wuxian, had suffered pressure from his sect, which he could no longer ignore. Despite all his efforts, even his love and dedication had limits. His efforts to protect Wei Wuxian had been useless against the forces opposing them. In the end, Lan Wangji had also had to give up, letting go of Wei Wuxian's hand with a look full of pain and regret.
However, it was Jiang Cheng who had dealt the most painful blow. His sworn brother, the man with whom he had shared everything since childhood, had drifted away, unable to forgive him for what had happened years earlier. Jiang Cheng's words had been like knives, sharp and unforgiving. "I will never forgive you" he said, the pain and anger burning in his eyes burning more than any physical wound. "I can't forget what you did, and I can't forget who you became."
Wei Wuxian knows that Jiang Cheng sees him as responsible for the downfall of the Jiang clan, who considers him to be the cause of all suffering suffered. Even though Wei Wuxian had sacrificed everything to protect Jiang Cheng, his sacrifice was not enough. He had been abandoned, rejected by the person he loved like a brother.
He had been abandoned, rejected by those he regarded as brothers and allies. Losing Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng was a wound that never healed. Once, Lan Wangji had been his refuge and Jiang Cheng his closest confidant, but now both had turned their backs on him, unable to forgive him for what he had become. His position in their lives has been replaced by an unbridgeable void, and the pain of this separation is something Wei Wuxian carries with him every day.
In the past, Wei Wuxian had been a powerful weapon in the fight against Wen Ruohan, being used by the sects to defeat a common enemy. He had saved innocent people, including Wen Qing and Wen Ning, but that gesture of compassion and justice had backfired on him.
His good intentions had been overrun by brutality and hatred, and his failure was celebrated as a demonstration of his untrustworthiness.
A few months later, the sects were mobilized against the Burial Mountains, where Wei Wuxian had attempted to hide the innocents. At that moment, the cruelty of the world was revealed in all its strength. Wei Wuxian had seen Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji at the forefront, leading the forces against him with determination and ruthlessness. "Give us the remains of the Wen or you will die with them," they had said, their words like a knife in his heart.
Their faces, so familiar yet so distant, had shown the disdain and determination that Wei Wuxian could not ignore. He was left helpless, a man who had tried to do the right thing but had seen everything fall apart. The vision of Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji, two people who had once shared his fate, now rejecting and condemning it, profoundly marked his spirit.
Every sect, except the Nie sect, had participated in the hunt against him, condemning him for his past actions. Wei Wuxian's decision to save the innocent peasants, despite his initial success, had had devastating consequences. After his efforts to hide the innocent had been exposed, the entire cult world had turned against him, making him a target of hatred and judgement. Although the Nie sect had refrained from attacking the innocent people, its decision not to participate in the massacre had not been enough to protect him. Neutrality was not a welcoming hug, but rather a gesture of detachment that failed to cover the shame and pain that Wei Wuxian felt inside himself. Every time he caught a disciple's gaze, he clearly sensed that although he was tolerated, he was not really accepted.
The tolerance of the Nie sect was, after all, cold rejection disguised as pity. There was no warmth, there was no real welcome, just a space left empty for a man who couldn't find a place to belong. This made him feel even more isolated, a refugee in a place that didn't belong to him, and every day his solitude became more unbearable.
His stay in the Nie sect was decided as an escape from the persecutions of the other sects, who had by then considered him a pariah. He had been rejected and condemned by all the other sects for his actions, and the Nie Sect was the only place that had agreed to give him a chance, albeit begrudgingly. It wasn't a true welcome, but a temporary refuge offered more to avoid further conflict than out of compassion. Every day, Wei Wuxian walks the halls knowing that his presence is tolerated but not welcome. His position in this house is precarious, a fine balance between being welcomed and rejected. The disciples look at him with glances that convey a certain reservation, an attitude of detachment that makes him feel like an intruder.
Nie Mingjue walks along the corridors of the Nie Sect with a growing sense of worry and heaviness. Each step seems to weigh like a boulder, a reminder of the delicate balance he must maintain. The decision to welcome Wei Wuxian, while driven by a deep sense of responsibility and compassion, was made reluctantly and is not without serious and tangible consequences.
The tension between what he has to do and what others expect of him is constant. The tolerance shown by the Nie sect towards Wei Wuxian is interpreted by many other sects as weakness, a sign of weakness and indecisiveness. The complaints are relentless and growing. Every day, the critical voices grow louder, the pressure to justify his decision becomes more and more overwhelming. The Nie Sect's internal discussions are fraught with disapproval, and the task of maintaining order among its disciples while trying to protect Wei Wuxian has become an ever-heavy burden. The Nie sect decided not to participate in the massacre of innocent farmers in the Sepulcher Mountains, but this gesture of neutrality drew criticism and accusations of weakness. Despite their refusal to take part in the massacre, their choice was interpreted as a form of indirect complicity. He has failed to change the other sects' minds about protecting the Wen, and now finds himself facing the wrath of those who see his decision as an unforgivable weakness.
The thought of Jin Guangshan and his words haunts him. Every time he remembered how Jin Guangshan had talked about Wei Wuxian after his alleged death, he felt a shiver of disgust. Jin Guangshan had treated him like a missed trophy, as if his only value had been to be tamed and bent to his will. The idea that Wei Wuxian was seen as a doormat to be subjugated bothered him profoundly. Jin Guangshan's words, discussions of how to use Wei Wuxian to suit his own purposes, were a constant goad that made him boil with anger.
During the secret meeting with the Gusu Sect, Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangshan, Nie Mingjue witnessed an argument that strengthened his doubts and frustration. Wei Wuxian, bound and gagged, stood in the corner of the room while the other clans debated his fate as if he were just a piece of merchandise. His heart was heavy as he listened to Wei Wuxian's criticisms and suggestions for treatment, and the feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him. His decision to protect Wei Wuxian was threatened by every word and every accusatory look.
Suddenly, no longer able to bear the humiliation and hypocrisy of Jin Guangshan and the others, Nie Mingjue exploded. The accumulated anger and frustration led him to speak with the full force of his voice, tarnishing the name of Jin Guangshan and the other sects with the harshest of truths. "You're such crazy hypocrites!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. “You are nothing but opportunists who exploit the situation for your own advantages, and you don't even have the courage to face your own faults!” With a decisive gesture, he drew Baxia from its sheath and displayed it, his blade gleaming in the dim light of the room.
"If anyone dares to set foot in my sect to take back Wei Wuxian by force," he stated firmly, "I will send his head back to his family with a ribbon... as a gift for his kind visit." His words were filled with determination and menace, and his expression was hard and unyielding. Nie Mingjue was ready to defend Wei Wuxian no matter what the cost. For some reason which was unknown to himself, he wanted to protect him from the outside world.
“Have I done the right thing?” It's a question that haunts him relentlessly.