WangXian Forever

Chapter 20 Torture

Wei Ying lay on the floor in agony. Days must have passed, but he was in no condition to keep an account. Ugly and Dimwit took turns beating him, threatening him with a multitude of vicious looking implements, and all throughout, he still had no idea why they were doing it.

As to who they were, that was also a mystery.

Today, they had switched his position so he was facing the wall, still chained up. Then they took turns with a whip and a flogger. Any movement, even breathing was excruciatingly painful for him. He wanted to cry, but he convinced himself that to show an inkling of weakness would really be the death of him.

He wracked his brain, trying to think of a way he could alert his family. He remembered the man suddenly appearing in front of him, so if the same method was used to escape, there was no chance they could find out his location. That meant, any attempt to leave here would have to come from his end. Plus the biggest problem lay in the fact that he still had no clue where he was.

When it came to it, all dungeons looked pretty much the same.

His heart sank when he realised the full scale of his predicament. He was still chained, albeit loosely, to the wall. This allowed him to lay on the floor on his chest. Food, if you could call it that, was tossed on a dirty plate whenever they felt like it.

He sighed, thinking of the meals shared with Lan Zhan and his grandmother. At the time, those meals tasted bland and boring, but right now, what wouldn't he give to have those again?

*****

Swords Hall was a good place for a meeting. Nie Huasang fanned himself, watching the others carefully. Information was hard to come by, unless you knew where to look. Master Wei had the right idea, he mused, all those years ago. A tea house during the day and a wine house during the evening; infallible sources of important news. He bided his time, waiting for an opportunity to reveal what he knew.

Lan Zhan vibrated with barely concealed fury at delays he saw as a terrible waste of time. Wei Ying could be anywhere, they could be doing anything to him. His own condition was also bad.

He hadn't slept for days, worry like a poison filling his veins. He needed Wei Ying to breathe. Too many times, Wei Ying has been taken from him, he vows to himself that never will he allow any kind of separation again.

Lan XiChen watched his brother. He knew the young Jade was pulled tightly by his emotions, ready to break if over exerted. He hadn't seen WangJi eat a full meal since they had received the urgent message from Jiang Cheng, two weeks ago.

Jiang Cheng just looked...tired. His face showed worry lines not present before, and the Zidian kept giving off sparks, a testament to his volatile temperament, exacerbated by the disappearance of his brother.

"I have news," Nie Huasang finally admitted, quietly. "And a possible theory as to where WuXian might be being held."

"Spit it out! What are you waiting for?" Jiang Cheng barked.

"Well, as you know, we sent out search parties. But they all came back empty handed, so I thought their clan robes might have had something to do with the lack of information. I sent out spies instead, to scout out the local drinking houses and they might have found something." He nervously watched Lan Zhan's hand grip tighten on Bichen.

"They overheard a group of disciples boasting about capturing a famous cultivator, how their leader was excited because years of waiting could finally come to an end." Nie Huasang continued. "They are looking for something and they think Wei WuXian is their key to finding it."

"What do you think they want?" XiChen asked, scratching his chin.

"No idea, but my scouts noticed alot of activity around Nightless City. And if you think about it, where else could you hide a prominent figure, if you wanted to keep his capture a secret? Nobody would think of looking there because of its previous occupants and the terrible history of the place."

Lan Zhan stood up, ready to leave. XiChen pulled him to sit down again.

"Wait, WangJi. Let's make a plan first. We don't know if they're there for sure, and if so, how many men do they have? Are they cultivators, or ordinary folk?"

"I suggest a two-fold approach." Nie Huasang said, carefully. "A few of us should go ahead and check whether the information we have is true. If our disciples stay back ready to intervene, we may be able to end this with minimal damage."

XiChen nodded his agreement.

"Very well, let's set out tomorrow morning. Do you want to come with us?"

Nie Huasang shook his head. "I will stay behind, just in case."

Nobody asked him what he meant.

They retired for the night. XiChen followed Lan Zhan to his quarters.

"WangJi?"

"Yes, Brother?"

"Please try not to worry. We will find him."

XiChen was not prepared for Lan Zhan to suddenly throw his arms around the elder and start sobbing. He stroked the younger one's hair, trying to offer comfort.

"I'm never leaving him again. I don't care what anyone says, screw tradition." He said, between breaths. "He didn't want me to leave then, either, but his brother made me."

"No one will make you leave him, I'll make sure of it."

"But Brother, his grandmother made me promise, and I...I failed!"

"What did you promise?" XiChen was puzzled.

"I told you that she prepared us to become Immortal. She said the final step was to perform the wedding ritual, that by prostrating three times, we would seal the agreement between Heaven and Earth. But we didn't get to perform that last part. What if...what if he-"

"Stop that, WangJi. You are not going to think like that. Do I make myself clear?" XiChen said, sharply.

Lan Zhan continued to cry. XiChen waited for him to calm himself.

"You have to rest. What good are you to Master Wei, if you pass out from exhaustion?"

Lan Zhan nodded.

"Good. Let's rest well. Tomorrow is another day."