Wen Ning stood in the middle of the infirmary in the Cloud Recesses and was stepping back away from Wei Wuxian. It had taken him a while to understand what exactly his master was asking of him. His posture and the spark of determination in his eyes were exactly the same as when he had asked Wen Qing to remove his golden core. In a different life and in a different body.
Wen Ning took another step back, looking at the others in the room for help in persuading Wen Wuxian that this was a terrible idea. He did not even know how to do the operation correctly; he was afraid he would kill not only his master but also his husband if he tried to do something like this. There had to be something else they could try.
Wen Ning felt like he could not take another life from Wei Wuxian. He remembered the first time when the young and strong cultivator had lost his spark and light in his life, his future. He could not let it happen for a second time. Not like this, not with his own hands.
He could understand why Wen Qing had been so reluctant to carry out the operation. It had not been only the fact that it was just her hypothesis and no one had ever tried the procedures before. It was not just because she did not want to help Jiang Wanyin at the expense of ruining Wei Wuxian's young life. It was also because of the fear that she would kill Wen Ning's benefactor, their protector, with her own hands.
Wen Ning did not have anywhere else to step back so he stopped and desperately begged Wei Wuxian to reconsider: "Young Master Wei, you cannot do this. Last time, it was pure luck with a fifty percent chance of success. This time, your body is not as strong and I am not as good a doctor as my sister had been. I cannot even give you those fifty percent. There is surely something else we could do..."
Hearing his words, Wei Wuxian spit out his makeshift gag and sat up, looking at him with almost feverish determination and desperation: "Wen Ning, there is nothing. This is the last chance. Please... help me save Lan Zhan..." After taking a breath and seeing that no one else spoke, Wei Wuxian mumbled to himself: "I do not care what would happen to me, but Lan Zhan..." His eyes filled with tears and they were freely flowing down as he was looking at his unconscious husband.
Lan Xichen apparently did not like what he was seeing and hearing and stepped forward. He was the first to get over his surprise at suddenly having a fierce corpse doctor in the infirmary with them and Wei Wuxian asking for something which would apparently hurt him. He of course could not have the whole picture, but it seemed like he was starting to put two and two together.
"Young Master Wen, what does this mean? What is Young Master Wei talking about?" he asked Wen Ning. He was probably not keen on asking Wei Wuxian himself, afraid he would not get the truth out of him.
Wen Ning turned to him, extremely grateful for the question. It allowed him to explain the situation and hopefully gain more allies to stand up against Wei Wuxian's idea. It was pure madness; Wen Qing had burned her thesis about core transfer immediately after they had come home from that blood covered mountain where she had cut both Yunmeng Jiang sect disciples open. She confided in him that she would never ever do something like that again.
However, now Wen Ning was standing in front of the same choice. Wei Wuxian was here, begging him desperately to take out his barely formed and weak second golden core and give it to Lan Wangji. The same golden core he had worked so hard to cultivate in Mo Xuanyu's body. The same golden core which he had been so happy about getting.
He was asking Wen Ning to take that happiness away from him, for a second time in his life. Well, first time in his second life, but it did not matter, the bottom line was still the same. He basically wanted to give up cultivation and his chances to attain immortality together with his husband for a measly chance that Wen Ning would be able to do the operation correctly and transfer his golden core.
It hurt, it hurt so much to be asked something like this. Wen Ning did not want to do it, but his resolve was crumbling in face of Wei Wuxian's desperation and begging. He needed allies in order to persuade him to let go of this idea.
"Young Master Lan," he turned to Lan Xichen, hoping to gain support from him. "Young Master Wei is asking me to perform the same operation that my sister had once succeeded with to save Young Master Jiang."
He did not have to explain anything more apparently. Lan Xichen's eyes immediately darted towards Wei Wuxian and looked at him with shock and deep-rooted sadness. Wen Ning had won; he had gained his first ally. Now, onto persuading the other two in the room so they could stop Wei Wuxian from ever mentioning the core transfer again.
"There must be something else which could be done," Wen Ning turned towards whom he assumed was the healer. He was afraid of the answer to this question, Wei Wuxian would not have been this desperate if they had found any other way, but he still needed the confirmation. He did not want to believe the situation was so dire it would call for the most drastic measures.
His heart sank when the healer shook his head and looked away in Lan Wangji's direction. So there was truly nothing they could do. Nothing aside for ruining Wei Wuxian's life for a chance to save his husband. Wen Ning had to try harder to make him let go of the idea.
Even though he liked Lan Wangji quite a lot as he always took good care of his master, this was simply too reckless. He could not even guarantee those fifty percent. And Wei Wuxian still seemed adamant to go through with the operation. That stubborn fool apparently trusted him more than he trusted himself. Or perhaps he was just too desperate to not try everything he could.
"Young Master Wei, please reconsider," Wen Ning all but begged again. If Wei Wuxian truly wanted to go thought this and decided to control Wen Ning with his flute, there would have not been anything he could do to oppose him. "I know you like Second Young Master Lan very much, but saving him could not be done at the cost of your own life. I am sure that if Second Young Master Lan recovered and learned that you have died for him, he would not like it in the slightest. Just try to imagine how much it would hurt him..."
Hearing his last sentence, it seemed to have pushed Wei Wuxian over his limit. "That is exactly what I am doing! Wen Ning, I know how he would feel, I am feeling like that right now. If Lan Zhan dies because of saving me, then I do not want to continue living either. Wen Ning, please, if there is even the smallest chance, I want to try it."
His eyes were shining with so much determination now that it was making Wen Ning shy away from his resolve of stopping him. He was certain that should Lan Wangji die due to the poison, Wei Wuxian would follow him into the afterlife.
What should he do? Wen Ning did not know if the small chance he could offer was really worth it. But it was true that even the slightest of chances that both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji could survive was better than knowing that if he did not do anything, they would both die for sure. Wen Ning was at the end of his rope.
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The most precious medicine
Fanfiction"I am sorry, Master Lan, Young Master Wei, there is nothing I can do." The best healer of the Cloud Recesses told them with a serious face. Lan Qiren collapsed on his chair, his knees had suddenly become too weak to hold him standing. How could it b...
