Untamed oneshot/short stories

When you have only lost so much, hold onto what you have

Summary:  After Nightless City,Jiang Cheng finds Wei Wuxian, injured but alive, at the bottom of the cliff and immediately brings him back to Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng feels numb as he searches the bottom of the cliff. There is anger, sadness and fear growing in his chest. He walks for a long time before he finally sees something. A body laying face down. Jiang Cheng breaks into a run. He kneels down next to the body he was sure to be Wei WuXian. The red ribbon in his hair was evident. The trail of blood behind him showed that he had tried dragging himself somewhere. Jiang Cheng turns him over and checks his pulse. It was so faint that it felt like a kiss against his thumb. But he's alive. Jiang Cheng thinks. He had only aimed to injure, acting thoughtlessly through his anger and grief. He had not expected Wei WuXian to rip his grasp from Lan Wangji's. After that, he could only watch in horror as his brother plummeting into the abyss. He wanted so badly to blame his sister's death on Wei WuXian, but he had felt no satisfaction in his so-called avenging for A-jie. She would be so upset with me. Jiang Cheng thinks, feeling his hands tremble.

Jiang Cheng examines Wei WuXian's injuries. One of his arms and legs were bleeding badly and there was blood coming from his chest as well. Jiang Cheng tears off some of the cloth from his outer robes and presses it into the wounds. It would be enough to stop the bleeding for now.

"Sect leader?" A disciple appears from behind.

"Help me get him to Lotus Pier. And make sure nobody finds out about this unless I inform them myself," Jiang Cheng orders.

"Yes, sect leader."

Jiang Cheng picks Wei WuXian up into his arms and flies back to Lotus Pier. The healer, Jiang Yueting is quick to meet them and bring them into her infirmary. Jiang Cheng leaves her to tend to Wei WuXian's wounds, but stays hovering near the entrance. Too many emotions run through his head right now. He feels angry but confused as to why he can't hate this man. He hated that he was worried still. That he still cared. That he still loved.

He had lost everything when his sister had died in his arms. She had pushed Wei WuXian and taken the blow meant for him. He had felt so angry at that moment. His vision had blurred when he aimed the sword at his brother dangling at the side of the cliff, the only thing preventing him from falling was Lan Wangji's grip on his hand. He hated himself for what he did. For almost killing his brother. The one his sister, just minutes before, had died trying to protect. His sister had almost died in vain. And he hated himself for that

He couldn't have felt more relieved when he found his brother at the bottom of the cliff. Alive .

"Sect Leader Jiang, I've finished tending to his wounds," The healer steps out. "But when he will awaken," Jiang Yueting looks away. "I can not say when. I don't even know how he managed to survive such a high fall."

"Thank you," Jiang Cheng tells her. "You've done everything you can. Is there anything I can do for him?"

"Having someone stay by his bedside would be best. In case fever breaks out. And there is one more thing you might want to know about his condition," Jiang Yueting wrings her hand nervously.

"What is it?" He asks anxiously.

"It appears Young Master Wei is not in possession of a golden core." All at once, Jiang Cheng feels his heart drop to his stomach.

What? No.. how?!

Jiang Yueting continues.

"Because of this, his wounds may take much longer to heal. After all, the fall he took was quite severe." Jiang Cheng only nods numbly, barely listening anymore as her last words still echoes through his ears.