The meaning of protecting you with my life

Willingly captured

After leaving the war camp, Wei Wuxian headed immediately towards the gates of Nightless City. Since he could not fly, it took him more than an hour to reach them. He had had enough time to both think about his next steps and worry if his brother, or anyone else from the Yunmeng Jiang clan, was still alive. He did, not even want to imagine what would he do should he learn that no member of the Jiang family was alive, and all because of him and how weak he was.

He had boasted to Nie Huisang about having a plan, but in reality, he still had nothing even already standing right in front of the gates of their enemy's stronghold. He wondered if he should try to sneak in and look for the Jiangs in cover. However, he was not sure he would be able to manage that even after mobilizing all his powers and all the resentful energy in Nightless City. The whole place was just drowning in it; it was almost as bad as the Burial Mounds.

He really did not want to get anywhere near it. Not when he was this tired and this close to the edge. He could feel that his control was hanging on a really thin threat, one wrong move and the resentful energy would slip from him, completely overcoming him. He would rather die than let that happen, he would become a puppet for the resentment's will and he was afraid that Wen Ruohan would see this as a perfect opportunity to crush the allied forces once and for all. No, he could not let that happen!

Still, he had to get inside, preferably without wasting any energy. He would need all of his strength when he would be negotiating with the Qishan Wen sect leader. He would need all he had and perhaps even more to convince him that he wanted to change sides and study the Yin iron, if he would be even allowed to come near it. He would then need all his willpower to combat the resentment and take the control away from Wen Ruohan. He was not sure he would actually be strong enough, it all seemed impossible.

Wei Wuxian shook his head. It would do nothing to feel dejected and overwhelmed now. He had to focus on the mission at hand. First and foremost, he had to save any member of the Jiang family who was still alive, only then should he start thinking about defeating Wen Ruohan. Though he knew fully well that even if he succeeded in convincing the demonic cultivator to let his prisoners go, the Jiangs could very well be captured right away or killed on the battlefield if he did not stop the Qishan Wen sect forever.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he had to do. He was very much aware that even if he would be able to actually beat Wen Ruohan and take control of the Yin iron, he would still have to destroy the relic, he could not let it fall into someone else's hands, it was too dangerous. If he would not die before that, that would be his last feat on the Earth. He knew very well that to destroy it, he would have to use all he had and there would be nothing left of him afterwards, not even a body to bury.

Another deep breath later, he gathered his courage and all the willpower he could muster. He put his hands into the air, far away from his flute and called out to the closed gate: "Wen Ruohan! I am here to join you. Let me inside!"

The gate opened almost immediately and there stood Wen Chao with a handful of Qishan Wen sect soldiers and a whole army of puppets. So Wen Ruohan already knew he was there and also that he could still not control the puppets created by him. Then again, it was probably good for his plan. He wanted Wen Ruohan to believe his sincerity in changing sides. It would not hurt for him to show some respect, even if he felt revolved only thinking about it.

Very slowly, he joined his hands in front of his body and bowed low, addressing Wen Chao: "Wei Wuxian, former demonic cultivator of the Allied forces, greets the Second Young Master of the Qishan Wen sect. I have come to request an audition with the Qishan Wen sect leader. I wish to change camps and stand on the winning side when this fight is over. I have an offer for him that I am sure he would find very appealing."

Wen Chao scoffed and was looking at him with suspicion poorly hidden behind an appearance of amusement. He gestured towards his men and puppets and suddenly, Wei Wuxian found himself facing a sea of weapons and indifferent faces. No one here would hesitate to kill him, and Wen Chao the least of all of them.

Wei Wuxian had a hard time to not shudder. It could not end here, he had to see Wen Ruohan! He kept bowing, completely unmoving.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard a different voice. He did not know the man who came up to the front of the army and was now standing next to Wen Chao. However, since the two of them looked really similar, he assumed that it must have been Wen Xu, the heir of the Qishan Wen sect.

His voice was like a thunder when he ordered several of his men: "Go take away his flute and restrain him. Father wanted to meet him for a long time already, he was curious about his demonic cultivation and also if he owns another piece of the Yin iron."

Then he spoke directly to Wei Wuxian while he was being disarmed and had his hands painfully tied behind his back: "Wei Wuxian, I have already heard about you. I warn you, if you try to do anything, any tricks or using the resentful energy, we will kill you on the spot, just as the rest of your family that we are currently hosting in our dungeons. So think very carefully about your every move."

One of the soldiers was just pushing a piece of dirty cloth into Wei Wuxian's mouth to serve as a makeshift gag so it was not too hard for him to hide his surprise and relief. What Wen Xu had just said must have meant that at least one member of the Jiang family was still alive. Although he hoped that all of them were there for him to rescue, one was still better than none at all.

Wen Chao's next words however froze all blood in Wei Wuxian's veins: "Brother, we cannot trust him! He is a known trickster and he had already escaped me several times. He had even made it out of the Burial Mounds! We cannot let him anywhere near father!"

Wen Xu now looked pensive for a minute and Wei Wuxian was already starting to think that he and his whole plan were doomed. However, Wen Ruohan must have really wanted to meet him because the heir of the Qishan Wen sect mused: "It is true that we cannot trust him just yet. We should first test him before letting him speak to father. And I know just the perfect test." The cruel smile on his lips did not leave Wei Wuxian any doubts about if he would or not like the trial they were about to put him through.

He did not struggle whatsoever when he was led to the central palace's dungeons. He also did not resist when they stopped in front of one door, similar to hundreds of them all around. He was trying to keep up an indifferent look all the while being scared to death. He was not sure he would come out of this alive and actually would see Wen Ruohan in the end.

Wen Chao smirked and finally seemed to agree with his brother: "I see, this is perfect, I did not think of this." Then he turned towards Wei Wuxian, the smile becoming even more cruel and despite himself, Wei Wuxian shuddered. "You can show us your determination and loyalty by staying in this cell. Someone will watch you for the whole night. We will come to take you see our father in the morning. If you succeed at the trial that is. It is quite easy really, you just cannot use any tricks or resentful energy while you are inside, that is the only requirement. If you break this rule, you know what will happen."

Wei Wuxian did not need that to be spelled out for him again. He nodded because he was still gagged and could not speak.

Then, everything went fast. The door to the cell was opened and his restrains including the gag were taken off. Wen Chao shoved him unceremoniously into the cell and the door slummed closed right behind him. He landed painfully on all four, frantically trying to look around. But it was too dark in there, he could not see anything. He could however fell that he was not alone.

Even without his cultivation or the use of resentful energy, he could still hear breathing which echoed in the small cell. Someone, or something, was there with him. Before he could scramble to his feet or start wondering who was there with him, he already heard a low growling. His whole body froze in terror, he knew this sound only too well, it was the animal which he did not want to meet ever again.

He gave out a small whimper, now he could only pray that he would actually survive until next morning. Even telling himself that he had to survive for Jiang Cheng, Jiang Yanli, Uncle Jiang and Madame Yu did not do much at this point. His primary instincts were stronger than his mission to protect the Yunmeng Jiang clan. His fear was simply too great, it was just him and that creature, all alone.