The meaning of protecting you with my life

Preparation for the final battle

Jiang Cheng was standing in front of the gates of Nightless City and he was just itching to finally do something. The Qishan Wen sect soldiers had barricaded themselves inside the city and the allied forces were now having a hard time to break down the gate and to lead the final siege. It was today that this long war would be decided.

He glanced sideways at Lan Wangji. Good, the Second Jade seemed just as eager to already be inside and go search for Wei Wuxian, that was, if a tight grip on his sword and his rigid posture had anything to tell about this matter. Jiang Cheng found out during this last week that he actually had much in common with Lan Wangji. Not that he would ever be such a sticker for rules or knew how to reign in his emotions as effectively, but they apparently cared very much about Wei Wuxian, if for different reasons.

When Jiang Cheng could not understand the fixation and stubbornness that the Second Jade seemed to throw his way whenever Wei Wuxian had been as much as mentioned, Jiang Yanli pulled him away and explained in simple words. After that conversation, nothing was the same for Jiang Cheng anymore. He still had a hard time coming to terms with the realization that Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian liked each other. What more, they were apparently already smitten and too deep, there was no turning back. Jiang Cheng was wondering if they would get married at this point after the war would be over.

So now at the very least, he understood that both he and Lan Wangji wanted to save Wei Wuxian just as strongly. Even if their interests and kind of love they had for his brother were different, their goal was in end the same. And Jiang Cheng was actually grateful that he had someone so dedicated by his side.

The plan that Nie Huisang had presented them just this morning was simple enough. As soon as the allied forced would breach the front gate and flood the city, he and Lan Wangji were supposed to enter and then go to a little known brothel where Nie Huisang's insider contact would already be waiting for them.

Jiang Cheng could still not believe that it was in reality Wen Ning who had been sending them daily updates on Wei Wuxian's condition all this time. He had only seen the disciple a couple of times and Wen Ning did not strike him as a particularly brave, or a strong cultivator for that matter. Then again, he mused, the same could be said for Nie Huisang and he was basically the master mind behind the whole Sunshot campaign. Appearances and first impressions could be misleading, could they not?

So now, here they were, waiting for the plan to finally start. Jiang Cheng was extremely worried, he was afraid that once Wen Ruohan would see their forces, he could use Wei Wuxian as a hostage to stop their advances. Just a week ago, he would have believed that his strong and smart brother would have been able to protect himself and the allied forces would be able to ignore all the threats, but not anymore.

At this moment, when Jiang Cheng knew that Wei Wuxian had no golden core and was apparently exhausted if the letters from Wen Ning were not exaggerating – and Jiang Cheng believed every word, he knew fully well how reckless his brother could be and how unforgiving living it captivity was – Wei Wuxian could be standing at death's door. And he was still trying to accomplish the rest of his stupid heroic plan to stop Wen Ruohan.

No one, and all the less Jiang Cheng himself, had asked him to sacrifice himself in his attempts at controlling the Yin iron. It had been a suicide mission from the very beginning and yet, Wei Wuxian had still decided to undertake it.

Jiang Cheng had suddenly a very strong urge to drive his fist against the nearest wall, or into a nose of a Qishan Wen sect soldiers, if there were any around – there were not, they were all hiding inside the walls of Nightless City like cowards. Instead, he only balled his fingers into fists and clenched them really tight. If he had known about this part of Wei Wuxian's plan, he would have never abandoned him in the Nightless City palace with just a very unconvincing promise to come back for him.

He was coming now, but it could very well already be too late, the last letter they have received from Wen Ning had come over a day ago!

As if Lan Wangji could sense his inner turmoil, he said with conviction: "Wei Ying is strong."

Correction, Jiang Cheng thought, Wei Wuxian had been strong. That was, before he had had to save Jiang Cheng and lose his golden core in the process. The Yunmeng Jiang sect heir supposed that there was still his brother's demonic cultivation but in the face of the Yin iron, he somehow doubted that it would be of much use. He was going against Wen Ruohan himself!

He sighed, half prepared to throw the fight before the argument really started but still retorted: "Did you forget? He has no golden core anymore. It does not matter how strong he had been before; he is just a normal human right now. And he is facing off with the Qishan Wen sect leader himself! This cannot not end in a disaster. We are talking about my brother after all."

Lan Wangji looked at him exasperated but there was steel in his eyes. "Wei Ying is strong," he repeated as if that was the ultimate explanation to everything.

Jiang Cheng looked at Lan Wangji properly this time, anger rising inside of him. Did the Second Jade not understand the situation? Or was he so smitten by Wei Wuxian that he had idolized him and was now under some mistaken impression that his brother was unbeatable?

The angry scolding which had been just on the tip of his tongue died out when Jiang Cheng noticed that Lan Wangji's shoulders were unnaturally stiff, even for someone from the Gusu Lan sect and that there were small cringes around his eyes, his jaw clenched so tight it must have been painful. He was worried. So perhaps his previous statement had been meant not only to remind Jiang Cheng but mainly to reassure himself. He must have been just as mortified to not have been already inside the walls of Nightless City, looking for his friend.

It made Jiang Cheng reconsider; there were also other types of strength aside for cultivation of spiritual energy, or resentful energy for that matter. If anything, Wei Wuxian was the most stubborn and hearty person that Jiang Cheng had ever known. If anyone could keep his head high despite every adversity, it would be him. He would push through anything at all to get to his goal; sometimes, it actually scared Jiang Cheng quite a bit. But right now, he thought that maybe it was a good thing and that at the very least, his brother was too stubborn to let himself become Wen Ruohan's puppet.

"I guess so," Jiang Cheng agreed a bit reluctantly.

Before any of them could say anything more, the allied forces had finally breached the defences and started storming inside the city. The moment of truth was upon them.